Knights of the NCIS Table
by Tigyr
Summary: Tim tells a story, changed the rating due to sexual references in later chapters.
1. Chapter 1

This one came to me like they all do…out of fricking nowhere. All disclaimers apply, not only do I not own NCIS; I have no money to be sued over.

Knights of the NCIS table.

"Uncle Tim! Uncle Tim! Tell me a story! Please, please Uncle Tim!" Tim McGee chuckles softly to himself as he peers down at the tow-headed imp that's clutching at his leg. He's babysitting for his sister, Sarah, while she and her husband look for new housing.

"What kind of story should I tell you?" He picks up the blonde bundle of joy and carries him into the front room. As he looks around at the painted walls, he makes a mental note to ask Sarah about her rental agreement. From the looks of it, this house could be just the thing he's been looking for. He sits down in the closest easy chair and places the child in the crook of his arm.

The blue eyed, blond haired boy thinks for about thirty seconds before replying, "I want a scary story; with dragons and wizards and no girls."

"Not even one that's cool like Aunt Abby or a martial artist like Aunt Ziva?" The dark haired ladies in question absolutely dote on the child in Tim's arms. The little boy shakes his head no.

"No girls at all. Just dragons, wizards and maybe a knight like my Daddy."

"Hmm…okay well, once upon a time, a long, long, long time ago, there lived a gigantic blue dragon."

"I like blue."

"Good, so the dragon lived in a remote cave."

"I have a remote at home."

"I know you do. Well, this dragon lived far away from most humans because his kind were usually hunted for their dragon scales. Dragon scales made for terrific armor, it was almost impossible to get wounded when you had dragon scale armor on." He looks down at the child in his arms who's breathing quietly and listening intently.

"In the closest village, lived a knight named Anton. Anton was a tall fellow, and one of the king's fiercest fighters." The child in his arms nods in agreement. So far, the knight in question sounds just like his Daddy.

"Anton had green eyes, dark brown hair and a suit of armor that needed repair badly. He'd been in so many battles that his armor had rusted through. So, Anton went to the castle to talk to his liege lord."

"What's a leech lord?" Tim smiles faintly, remembering Sarah asking the same question when she'd been this little one's age.

"A liege lord is like a king. He was Anton's boss and Anton needed his permission to get new armor. King Jed listened to Anton's plea for new armor and started shaking his head in denial. Before he could say anything, King Jed's top wizard came running into the room. The wizard's name was Jamie and he never ran."

"He was this time though." The small voice was getting sleepy and Tim smiled as he continued.

"Yes, Jamie wasn't a runner, but he was running that day. They'd seen the dragon and he was breathing white ice into the valley, making the spring day into winter."

Unknown to the storyteller, he had more than one person for his audience. Sarah and her husband Tony, Tim's partner at NCIS had arrived five minutes earlier and heard Tim telling Donald all about the characters for this story. When Dr. Mallard had died the same year that they'd gotten married, Sarah and Tony had both agreed that their first born son would be named after the beloved ME. Sarah leans into her husband of four years and whispers, "You think this could be another best seller?"

End?

Tim's cast of characters

King Jed – Gibbs

Knight Anton – Tony

Wizard Jamie – Jimmy


	2. Chapter 2

So, a close friend told me I needed to continue with the Knights of the NCIS Table. Here's a quickie until I figure out where it's really headed…all disclaimers apply. If anyone really wants to know this can be set anytime around season 7 or after.

Previously on Knights of the NCIS Table:

_Unknown to the storyteller, he had more than one person for his audience. Sarah and her husband Tony, Tim's partner at NCIS had arrived five minutes earlier and heard Tim telling Donald all about the characters for this story. When Dr. Mallard had died the same year that they'd gotten married, Sarah and Tony had both agreed that their first born son would be named after the beloved ME. Sarah leans into her husband of four years and whispers, "You think this could be another best seller?"_

Tony hugs her close and whispers back, "Maybe, did you get the recording started?"

They both chuckle softly and continue listening to Tim as he tells Donald why the wizard who never ran was running. A knock at the back door brings Sarah's attention to the kitchen and she opens the door to Abby and Ziva. She puts a finger to her lips and indicates the storytelling going on in the next room. A shadow at the door has her opening it before Gibbs can knock and she ushers him and Jimmy Palmer inside too. Now that the entire team is here, she doesn't have to worry about any other major interruptions, so she places a phone call and the others pool their money for the pizza delivery.

"Jamie tells King Jed all about the blue dragon. Before he can plead his case any further, Zavad, one of the King's favorite squires limps into the room. Zavad is covered with ice and has a deep scratch in his left thigh. He tells King Jed that the dragon is demanding an audience with him and that if King Jed refuses his entire kingdom will be covered in ice. King Jed looks for his main advisor the wise and yet very young Abdiel. Twenty minutes go by before Abdiel enters the room. When he hears the story Abdiel nods and says that it is advisable for Anton to meet the dragon and possibly find out what they can do to reach an agreement."

Tony smiles down at Sarah who's listening intently to her brother's story. Before they can find out what Anton's plan of action is, there's a knock on the front door this time. It's the pizza delivery and Sarah hurriedly hands him the change for their supper. Taking the pizza and handing it to Tony, she turns to Tim who is gently laying Donald on the floor which is covered with blankets. The child is sound asleep and doesn't move as Tim covers him with a light blanket and then tucks it in around him.

The adults adjourn to the kitchen. Two minutes later and they're all filling their plates with hot pizza, breadsticks and chicken wings. Tim opens the refrigerator and pulls out several beers and soft drinks as well as a pitcher of water. Once everyone has a full plate, Sarah sets aside two pieces of pizza for Donald and covers it before heading into the living room.

The others follow suit and are soon lounging on the floor or in the few chairs that populate the room. Conversation is almost nil as they eat supper and watch over the child on the floor.

Tony looks around the room and the others all nod at his silent question. He then turns to McGee who is gathering the plates to take back to the kitchen.

"So, when do we get to hear the rest of the story?"

McGee doesn't falter as he takes the dishes out to the kitchen, but they can all see the almost faint blush as it rises from his shirt collar.

"How much did you hear?"

They all grin at him and he knows that his audience hadn't been just a small four year old boy. Nope, he'd had the entire MCRT listening in and hadn't realized it.

"Umm…I'm making it up as I go guys. So, I guess we'll have to wait for Donny to wake up before I tell anymore."

Sarah stands up and enters the kitchen. She'd seen the looks on all the other faces. They were concerned and she thinks, from what Tony's told her that she knows why. Tim still blames himself for what happened when a crazed fan killed two people and almost killed Abby. She wraps an arm around him, feeling him tense slightly before relaxing again.

"Hey, don't fret the past. We have a wonderful future to look forward to. Especially Donny and the new baby." She watches as he realizes what she's just told him.

"Really? Wow, no wonder you two need a new house." She smacks his arm and he gives her a hug. "Congratulations, have you told Tony yet?"

"No, not yet. Maybe you can bring it up in the story?"

"Your son forbade me to bring women into the story."

Sarah laughs at that and tells him in that case he might want to change the names of the squire and the advisor. "Donny might not see a connection but I'm sure the rest of us did."

Tim blushes again, and hides his face in her hair. Tony comes around the corner to see what's taking the siblings so long and sees his partner hugging his wife. Knowing that Sarah's trying to get Tim to open up, he backs away.

Gibbs motions Tony to step outside with him.

"What's up boss?"

"Nothing, looks like you actually are like the knight in that story though. Or maybe Tim's more observant than either of us cares to admit."

Tony nods as he considers what Tim's story has consisted of so far. Admittedly, he's only been introducing the characters, but it's entirely possible that the knight Anton has a few of Tony's characteristics, even ones that Tony's not sure that he has.


	3. Chapter 3

Ncis knights chapter 3

Because so many of you requested it, chapter 3 is now up

_Tony nods as he considers what Tim's story has consisted of so far. Admittedly, he's only been introducing the characters, but it's entirely possible that the knight Anton has a few of Tony's characteristics, even ones that Tony's not sure that he has. _

The two men go back inside and watch Tony's son sleep. Knowing that his son is just like him when it comes to pizza, Tony leans down and whispers in Donny's ear, "Pizza's ready buddy."

Two bright blue eyes open and gaze up at Tony with love. Then the desire for food enters that gaze and he demands to know where his supper is.

"Mommy has it in the kitchen."

Donny stretches before racing into the kitchen. He sees his uncle and his mom standing by the sink washing the few dishes that were left from supper.

"Mommy? Did you save me any pizza?" Tim stays facing the sink, knowing that if he looks into those eyes, he'll start laughing. Donald and Tony both have the same appetite when it comes to pizza. He listens to Sarah as she pulls out the two reserved slices and hands them to her son. Donny tilts his head to the left and asks, "May I have some milk please?"

"Sure thing. Do you want to eat in here while Uncle Tim and I finish up the dishes?"

"Yep and then we can go into the living room and he can tell me the rest of my story."

Tim shakes his head not saying anything. He should have realized that between his sister's love of literature and Tony's love of cinema, their son would have a love of both. He's just not sure where to continue with the story. Donny finishes eating, burps and glances up at the two siblings. "'Scuse me. Can we go listen to my story now?"

They all head back into the living room. Abby and Gibbs are sitting together on the couch while Jimmy and Ziva cuddle on the love seat. Tony is sitting in the big leather easy chair that Tim and Donny had used earlier that day. He starts to get up but Sarah comes and sits on his lap. That leaves the other chair for Tim and Donny.

Tim looks around the room. "Before I get started, does anyone want or need to use the bathroom, or get something to drink?"

None of the others do, so Tim sits back and cradling Donny asks him what the last thing in the story was. The little boy tells him that Zavad had just entered the hall.

"Okay. So, Zavad is covered with ice and has a deep scratch in his left thigh. He tells King Jed that the dragon is demanding an audience with him and that if King Jed refuses his entire kingdom will be covered in ice. King Jed looks for his main advisor the wise and yet very young Abdiel. Twenty minutes go by before Abdiel enters the room. When he hears the story Abdiel nods and says that it is advisable for Anton to meet the dragon and possibly find out what they can do to reach an agreement."

King Jed is worried about his knight; after all, he'd just told him that he couldn't get his armor replaced. Anton smiles at his liege lord, the smile not quite reaching the green eyes, and tells him that he'll talk to the dragon first, and then decide if there shall be any bloodshed.

King Jed nods slowly, and watches as Anton leaves the great hall. Anton strides out the doors not noticing the suits of armor that line the sides of the hall, not that any of the shining suits would have fit, he's much taller than the men who had been outfitted for those. Stepping outside, he looks around for the dragon.

"The dragon is blue Daddy and has a remote just like we do!" Smiles cross all of the adults' faces at Donny's interruption. Tony nods and they all settle back again to hear the rest of the story.

Okay readers, sorry to leave you like this but there are two different plot bunnies nipping at my brain. So, hopefully by this time tomorrow, the first version will be up. For those who are wondering Tim's cast of characters are:

King Jed – Gibbs

Knight Anton – Tony

Wizard Jamie – Jimmy

Squire Zavad – Ziva

Advisor Abdiel – Abby

The Dragon -- ??


	4. Chapter 4

Knights Chapter 4a

This is one version of the fight between Anton and the dragon.

"_The dragon is blue Daddy and has a remote just like we do!" Smiles cross all of the adults' faces at Donny's interruption. Tony nods and they all settle back again to hear the rest of the story. _

***

Anton walks into the main courtyard and is immediately greeted with the stench of dragon breath. The beast in question has what's left of an oak tree sticking out of its mouth. Bits and pieces of the tree are lying in piles, and Anton absently notes that the pieces would be very useful as firewood in the great hall and other rooms. The dragon starts to say something when it accidentally bites down on the tree. A large cracking sound like thunder when lightening strikes echoes in Anton's head. He instinctively ducks as the dragon proceeds to cough up the remains of the tree.

"So, you're the puny human they sent out to talk to me. What's your name?"

Anton looks the dragon in the eye as he replies, "My name is Anton, what is your name and why are you attacking our villages?"

"My name is Nolan, I was not attacking anyone."

"Then why is my squire covered in ice with a scratch down his leg?"

"He's probably the scrawny kid that I almost fell on when my lunch exploded. Phhtooey" Another piece of tree joins the rest of the scrap heap. Anton can see that all that's left of the tree is a long branch that appears to be stuck in Nolan's mouth.

Anton's not sure just why he does it, but he offers to remove the tree branch. Nolan shakes his head and maneuvers his small front claw up. Nolan removes the branch and notices as he does so that several pieces of forgotten meals are on it. He casually flicks them off and sticks the tree branch back into his mouth, rolling the wood around with his forked tongue.

Anton ducks from the spray of the rotting whatever it was, and again asks the dragon why he was attacking the village. Nolan snorts and ice comes out of his snout. Anton jumps behind the nearest pile of wood, narrowly avoiding being turned into an icicle.

"I'm doing it, because I can. There's nothing you can do to stop me."

Anton says nothing as he examines the creature in front of him. The scaly hide isn't the normal glistening sheen of other dragons that he's fought in the past. The scales are dull, almost unpolished as if "You're dying and they've tossed you to the wolves."

The dragon hisses at the comment yet says nothing. Anton nods to himself in satisfaction. He knows that what he's said is true. Dragons have never been known to breathe ice, or any kind of water. Fire, brimstone, those are a normal breath weapon. For ice to be appearing, Nolan must be an almost ancient creature, close to its deathbed.

"I'd heard there was a noble knight left in the land and I wanted a battle with said knight. Are you that knight or are you a simple mouse, too puny to bother playing with?"

Anton's head snaps up at the insinuation that he was a coward. He might not have full body armor but he'd still go down fighting even if the dragon was as old as the hills.

"Puny human, your armor is almost as bad as mine. I shall give you one chance to leave. Then, we fight."

"Bring it on, Nolan. Knights don't run from dragons. We live to tell the tale."

***

Tony looks up at the group in the room. "Hey I'm not that bad."

The only comment comes from an intent four year old.

"Hush, Daddy, I'm listening to the story." There's muffled laughter from around the room and Tim continues his narration.

***

Anton draws his long sword out of its sheath, while he searches for a weakness in Nolan's armor. The dragon will be difficult to kill even if it is old.

***

"Sounds like you Gibbs." Tony's quip earns him yet another glare from his son. Not to mention the look of retribution from his boss. Head smack might be a mild term by the time Gibbs gets through with him.

***

Nolan tries to gain an advantage by flying away, but due to the amount of wood he'd created, he'd boxed himself in with no way to spread his wings and leave. Anton scrambles up the nearest wood pile and with his traditional battle cry whacks Nolan across the snout.

***

"Hey, now what is all that about?" Tony's question is fair and answered by Ziva of all people.

"He is what did they call it counting coup?"

Tim nods and continues.

***

Nolan is startled by the pain and rears his head back. That gives Anton the edge he needs to thrust his sword into the soft flesh around the dragon's heart, killing it almost instantly. Nolan collapses and breathes one last time. As he does so, he looks at Anton and says, "Thank You."

Anton pauses for breath then heads back inside the castle.

End of this version—keep it or throw it?

Dragon – Vance (Leon)


	5. Chapter 4b

Knights Chapter 4b

"The dragon is blue Daddy and has a remote just like we do!" Smiles cross all of the adults' faces at Donny's interruption. Tony nods and they all settle back again to hear the rest of the story.

***

When Anton steps out into the courtyard, the first thing he notices is the stillness. There's no wind or breeze of any kind. There are no birds chirping or animal sounds at all. As he steps further from the castle and deeper into the courtyard, a soft whoosh makes him look up.

The dragon is hovering about ten feet above him. From this vantage point, Anton could easily nock an arrow and hit the beast yet something prevents him. The dragon dips a wing, indicating for Anton to follow it. When he nods in acceptance, the dragon flies toward the forest, landing just outside the forest entrance.

"Forgive me, Sir Knight, I wanted to make sure that no more innocents were injured. My name is Thym and I need your assistance."

Anton blinks in surprise. He's never had an adversary ask for help before. Puzzled green eyes look up into sorrowful green eyes. The dragon Thym nods and proceeds to tell Anton his story.

"Several centuries ago, I was flying over an enchanted land and roused the ire of a mage. He has cursed me to live alone, never finding a mate, never being able to find someone to love. Over the course of time, my body has been changing, I no longer breathe fire, and when I do breathe, it comes out like a stream of ice. For that I wanted to apologize to your king and kingdom. I never intended to hurt anyone."

"Why are you telling me this? Is there no cure?"

"Not that anyone has been able to discover. We have no female dragons, therefore, I cannot procreate. I cannot find a mate. I was hoping to maybe find a friend or comrade. I wanted to ask you or maybe your king if he knew of anyone that might be willing to travel with me, and see new places."

***

Tim glances down and sees Donny asleep once more. He looks up at the adults in the room. Gibbs offers silently to take the sleeping child. Tim shakes his head. He likes the feel of his nephew in his arms and relishes the moments of time that he gets to spend with him. Ziva asks him if he'll continue the story. He looks over at her in surprise.

"Please Tim."

"Yeah, Probie, you can't leave us hanging there."

"It's a good story McGee. Please, tell us how it ends." It's the praise from Gibbs that finally convinces him to keep going.

***

Anton thinks about what Thym has told him and tells him that he needs to confer with the king.

"I can meet you back here tomorrow morning. I should have the king's response by dawn."

The dragon nods, his head drooping wearily as if some weight is holding it.

"Thym, may I ask you something?"

"Yes."

"What did you do to upset the mage?"

"I existed."

With that, the dragon flies towards the closest mountain range. Anton trudges back to the castle contemplating all that he's learned. Once inside the castle walls, he heads straight for the throne room.

"King Jed, I bring news. Before I relay my story, would it be possible to have Abdiel and Jamie here?"

The king nods and motions for a page to retrieve the other two men. Once everyone is in the same room Anton relates what the dragon has told him. Jamie looks at Abdiel who is frowning in concentration. Jamie then looks over at Anton and asks him why he'd asked to have them there.

"I don't really know. I just know that I needed to get you guys involved with this too. You are the only ones I know that might have some knowledge as to what he was referring to when he said that he was cursed just because he existed."

***

The silence in the living room is only broken up by Tim's voice as he continues with the story. By telling the story this way, his friends and family are seeing for the first time in weeks, maybe even months just how lonely Tim really is. Abby tilts her head up to Gibbs and kisses his chin. Jimmy tightens his arms around Ziva and Tony holds Sarah tighter too. Of them all, he's the one still unattached to anyone. The boyish face is showing signs of weariness that's not due to the job.

***

Jamie whispers something to Abdiel who nods and tells King Jed that the two need to look at some scrolls to see if their suspicions are correct. Jed waits until they're gone to face his loyal knight.

"You want to go with him?"

The question was more of a statement, and Anton nodded slowly. The battles of yesteryear are gone. King Jed's kingdom is safe from harm and Anton is tired of battle. The prospect of traveling to another kingdom would be daunting if he had to walk, but to be able to fly with the dragon…that could be for some good times indeed.

Abdiel and Jamie come back in chattering excitedly and holding two scrolls.

"Anton did the dragon tell you his name?"

"Yes, he said I could call him Thym. Why what have you discovered?"

Abdiel twirls around with excitement and bounces forth. "He's the last dragon. The last living breathing dragon. He's gotta be close to 500 years old."

"He did say he had been cursed several centuries ago. What did he mean by the fact that the mage cursed him just for existing?"

Jamie rolls out the scroll he's carrying and they can see the story unfold. The mage's family had been killed by a renegade dragon. Thym and several others managed to bring the perpetrator to justice but not before the curse had been laid.

"Thym wasn't the only one cursed. All the dragons were. Its why there were so few dragons. They couldn't have clutches anymore. The mage basically made it so the females died off first. The males, having longer life spans are almost extinct as well."

***

Tony looks down at Sarah who has tears running down her cheeks. Tim is the last male of the McGee family. The only one not married or involved with someone. He squeezes his wife's hand reassuringly, letting her know that he'll talk to Tim. Try to convince him that all hope is not lost. After all Tony'd just gotten married 4 years ago and Tim is a few years younger than Tony.

***

King Jed runs a hand over his chin as he debates his answer. He knows that he's going to let Anton go with the dragon. He's just not sure about the dragon. He stands up, and strides to the doors.

"Stay put." He growls to the room at large and heads outside. Anton runs after him, he'd forgotten to tell his liege that the dragon would be back in the morning.

"Your majesty. The dragon, he'll be back at dawn. I asked him for this time to get answers for all of us."

Ice blue eyes stare into emerald green ones. The stark honesty prompts Jed to smack the back of the knight's head. Anton rubs his hand over the spot knowing without asking that it is Jed's way of saying "you should have said something."

Anton just nods and leads the way back into the throne room.

***

So…leave it or toss it? I will leave it up to the reviewers…if you like this version better than the other please let me know and I'll continue the story from here. If you prefer the version with Vance as the dragon I'll continue from the end of that chapter.


	6. Chapter 5a

I don't own NCIS and have no money to be sued.

I decided to honor a reviewers request and do both versions so here's the final to the version with Nolan the dragon.

Knights 5a

_Nolan is startled by the pain and rears his head back. That gives Anton the edge he needs to thrust his sword into the soft flesh around the dragon's heart, killing it almost instantly. Nolan collapses and breathes one last time. As he does so, he looks at Anton and says, "Thank You." _

Anton pauses for breath then heads back inside the castle. He strides up to King Jed and tells him that the dragon is dead. King Jed, Abdiel and Jamie all run out to verify the knight's story. Anton lags behind, still a little winded from the impromptu battle.

The dragon's cooling body is sprawled in the courtyard, dull blue scales becoming even duller as death finishes working its way through the massive body. King Jed motions for the other three to grab what they can from the dragon's body for supplies. Anton reluctantly pulls several scales from the sides and smaller ones from the legs. Abdiel and Jamie pull the dragon's claws and teeth to make potions and powders.

***

"Uncle Tim, why did they take the claws and teeth?"

Tim doesn't hesitate to explain. "In a lot of early societies, they honored the dead animals by using what they could. As the dragon is so old, they couldn't use the dragon for meat, but they could use the rest of him for magic potions or herbal medicines."

***

Once they're all finished, Jed motions for several serfs to gather what they can of the firewood and bring it inside. There is still a nice pile left when they are done and Anton tells King Jed that he'd like to leave it there so that it can be used to burn what's left of Nolan. Jed shakes his head no. The dragon is too close to the castle and embers could blow in the wind setting some of the buildings on fire.

Anton nods as he tries to figure out how to get the dragon away from the castle. When decay sets in it could release an odor that will permeate the castle walls. Jamie and Abdiel tell him that there is the wagon that could be used for transport if he chooses to use it. Anton agrees and the three of them, working with several of the castle guards get the dragon's body lifted enough so that it can be dragged off towards an empty field.

Two trips are made: one taking the dragon and the other bringing out the wood for the funeral pyre. The fire burns for the better part of a week. Anton goes to the field when the fire burns out and finds nothing but ashes. He says a small prayer for the dragon and goes back to the castle to finish polishing and shaping his armor.

***

Donny yawns and hugs his Uncle Tim. "Thank you Uncle Tim. It was a good story."

"You're welcome, Donny." The little body gets slightly heavy as sleep threatens to take over.

"Uncle Tim, could you tell me another story tomorrow?"

End


	7. Chapter 5b

As this one is rather Tim-centric, it's a little longer.

Knights 5b

_Ice blue eyes stare into emerald green ones. The stark honesty prompts Jed to smack the back of the knight's head. Anton rubs his hand over the spot knowing without asking that it is Jed's way of saying "you should have said something."_

Anton just nods and leads the way back into the throne room. Abdiel and Jamie are still there, talking over strategy for dealing with a man-eating, ice-breathing dragon. Anton listens for ten seconds before butting in.

"He's not that bad. He didn't mean to hurt Zavad. He's lonely and doesn't know how to turn off the ice breathing."

Abdiel turns to stare at him, "Geez, Anton, you almost sound like you're in love with him."

Anton sighs in exasperation. "No, I'm not, I just…"

"You relate to him. Okay, Abs, Jamie, lets figure out what we can do to help an ice breathing dragon breath fire again." Jed's gaze drifts on his two advisors before resting on his knight.

"You have my permission to talk to him and bring him in to talk to us. Between all four of us I'm sure we can figure out how to help him."

Anton brightens visibly at being able to bring the dragon in, and then thinks for a moment. "Hey is there any reason for his scales to be so dull?"

"If he's lonely, it's possible that he's depressed and it's discoloring his scales." Abdiel offers the explanation while discussing with Jamie why fire becomes ice. Jamie looks up at Anton.

"We can try just talking to him and see if anything happens while he's in our company. He might brighten up for a while."

Anton nods and looks at his liege. King Jed nods and Anton leaves to find Thym. The dragon is still waiting for him by the forest. The knight rustles leaves so that he doesn't startle the beast.

"Sir Anton, you've returned a bit early."

"My king would like to talk to you and discuss my traveling with you."

Even in the deepening twilight, Anton can see the slight brightening of Thym's scales. Thym hunches down and asks Anton if he'd like to ride back to the castle. Anton nods and gently climbs aboard. Thym tells Anton to grab hold just under the left scale, and flies towards the castle.

King Jed is waiting when they arrive and Anton dismounts rather clumsily. Thym tilts his head to make sure the knight is all right before bowing his head to King Jed.

"Your Majesty, this is Thym. Thym this is His Royal Majesty King Jed. The brunette with the dark eyes and long hair is Abdiel and the shorter haired fellow is Jamie."

"How is the young one, I believe you said his name is Zavad?" Thym's question brings a surprised smile to the other faces. Jamie reassures the dragon that the squire is alive and well, and thawing without much incident. The relief the dragon feels is almost palpable as the sigh is seen going through the massive body.

Abdiel comes over and asks Thym to confirm their suspicion that he is the last of the dragons, and that he was there when the renegade killed the mages family. Thym nods in answer to all their questions. The castle fires are lit for the evening and King Jed declares that it's time for the evening meal. Anton tells Thym that he'll meet him in the courtyard at dawn, to see if there are new revelations. The dragon bows his head in temporary sorrow, then raises it again as he realizes he's invited back the next day.

***

The revelation there, how much Tim enjoys being in their company, how it brightens his day to spend time with them, makes the others realize just how much they mean to him.

***

The morning dawns and Thym is back in the courtyard. He'd taken the time to eat before entering the castle grounds, not wanting to disturb anyone with his messy way of eating. Anton had been in the stables and comes out when he hears the whoosh of Thym's wings. The dragon bows his head at the knight's presence and nudges him lightly with his head, just like an overgrown horse might.

Anton yells for Abdiel and Jamie, who come stumbling out of the castle with a bucket held between them. King Jed is right behind them, holding a small lit torch. Anton looks at Thym and tells him that they've come up with a way to ignite the fire inside. Thym gazes fearfully at the flame, but Anton tells him to listen to him.

"Hey, big guy, we've worked all night and our two mega brains here figured out that the fire rock you used to consume is gone. They managed to create something similar to it. All you have to do is trust us not to hurt you. Can you do that?"

Thym's green eyes meet Anton's equally green eyes. Trust for the dragon comes easily, something that he was often ridiculed for. Trust for the knight comes rarely, yet he's asking this beast, this creature that he used to hunt to trust him. Thym nods his head and listens to what Abdiel and Jamie are telling him.

"Basically, we need you to drink this and then, either King Jed or Anton will follow that up with the torch."

***

Trust is such a key word in their work and no one has more trust in them than Tim McGee. Tony looks at Sarah and his sleeping son and realizes just how much trust Tim has in him, especially with his family. Gibbs knows that Tim won't follow him blindly, but he will trust him whenever the situation warrants it. As for Abby, the story is showing that the trust he once had is waning, and she'll have to work to regain it. Ziva knows that Tim trusts her, maybe not to the degree as Tony and Gibbs, but it's enough for now.

***

Thym looks at the others in horror, then at Anton. The knight puts a hand on Thym's wing. "It's the only way, we know, other than dousing you in the stuff and setting fire to you. We, they, think that your fire center just needs a jump start. And this could do it."

Thym thinks it over and slowly nods his head. He'll trust Anton to know what is best for him. The others he's not too sure about, but he trusts the knight and relaxes his body. He leans forward and sniffs the bucket's contents. The smell alone almost makes him rebel, but he'd promised the knight that he'd trust him. He takes a giant breath and in doing so swallows the potion. Not giving him time to think, Anton grabs the torch and stuffs it in Thym's mouth.

It's all Thym can do not to bite down and sever Anton's arm. As it is the knight is thrown backward into the other three when Thym tosses his head up at the burning in his mouth and throat. He takes three steps backwards and flies off not wanting to hurt his friend.

Two hours pass and Anton is worried. The dragon put his trust in them but to what end?

A soft roar is heard and he looks up into the sky. A bright blue blur is heading straight towards him and he realizes that the blur is Thym. The potion appears to be working. Anton steps back a few paces and waits for the dragon to land. When he does so the knight strides towards him and the dragon kneels down so that the knight can climb on. Anton rubs the beast between his ears and the dragon groans his appreciation.

"Did it work?" For an answer Thym flies towards a hay bale and sends out a stream of fire. Anton pats Thym on the shoulder and tells him that he needs to tell the others of their success before he leaves. Thym agrees and lands once again. Anton dismounts and runs into the great hall, stopping only to bow to his king. He tells him of the success and that the dragon is ready to take flight.

Jed steps out of the castle and over to the dragon who again bows in allegiance to the king. "You'll take care of him? He is after all, my top knight."

"Aye Your Majesty, your man is safe with me. I promise to bring him back in two weeks time. That should help us figure out if we can survive without killing each other."

Jed smiles at the thought of these two friends doing battle against the other and shakes his head. Mock battle he could see, not a real one. He nods his acceptance to Anton and tells Thym, "You'll do."

Thym nods at the trust the king has placed in him. The king trusts him to keep the knight safe for the next two weeks, and possibly longer. He turns to face Abdiel and Jamie. "Thank you for helping me. I'll let you know if we need to create the mixture again."

Thym figures that the next two weeks should also indicate if he'll need to find something else to use to keep the fire burning, so that he doesn't have to resort to the ice breathing again. He knows that Anton can help him track this and that is yet another reason he is glad to have the knight around. He looks for his passenger, who is gathering a small pouch of supplies and they take off towards the distance mountain. As they fly out of site, King Jed, Abdiel and Jamie all hear, "I'm on top of the world!"

***

Tony stares at Tim who is grinning as he finishes the story. "You put a movie quote into the story! Titanic no less, Probie I'm impressed."

Sarah stands up and goes over to kiss her brother on the cheek. "You should print this one Tim. Put together a bunch of short stories for the kids that Tony and I are going to have."

Tim smiles at her and stands up to leave. Before he can, Tony stands up and gives him a loose hug. "So, are you coming over to tell my son another story tomorrow?"

"I might be coming over to tell your daughter one, too." With that, Tim exits the building leaving a laughing sister and five stunned adults behind him.

End – at least for this story…heheheh

Tim's characters

King Jed -- Gibbs

Knight Anton – Tony

Zavad -- Ziva

Abdiel – Abby

Jamie – Jimmy

Nolan – Leon

Thym – Tim

A/n For all of those who did review chapters four and five, this story with Tim or Thym as dragon was the one everyone asked me to continue; however I decided to put in the other one with Leon or Nolan just to finish off that particular storyline in the previous chapter. Thank you to everyone who followed this story, I'm hoping to create another set of Knight Tales in the near future, this time featuring one of the ladies of NCIS. Maybe, Ziva-centric? Reviews help me decide…lol


	8. Chapter 6

First of all I need to say Thank you to all who read and reviewed the first chapters of the Knights of the NCIS Table. When I finished with that story, one of my best friends asked me what next? This is what's next. As always, I don't own anything to do with CBS or NCIS, and suing me is a waste of money that I don't have.

Knights of the NCIS Table – Ziva's turn.

"Uncle Tim?" the little blonde haired boy looked up at his beloved uncle a question in his blue eyes. The man in question, quiet almost shy Tim McGee picks up his nephew and carries him from the kitchen to the front room. The two were spending the day together as once again Tony and Sarah were trying to find a new house.

"Yes, nephew Donny, what can I do for you?" The little boy giggles at his uncle's phrasing. It's one of the reasons that he loves his uncle so much. It's not often that Donny gets to spend this much time with Tim, as Sarah usually has the day off to spend with him. A few weeks ago, Tony and Sarah decided they wanted a bigger house and so on the weekends they have off, Tim watches Donny while the other two go house hunting. As far as Tim and Donny are concerned, they get the better end of this particular deal.

"Can you tell me another story? Like the last one but this time make Aunt Ziva a really, really powerful knight. Just not as powerful as Daddy was."

Tim says nothing as he hides his smile, then he asks, "Okay, do we need dragons and wizards again?"

The boy nods enthusiastically. "Yes please. You don't have to put Daddy in if you don't want to."

"Daddy might feel left out if we don't include him. We could make him a supporting character. That means that he'll make at least a quick appearance, how's that? He can be the one to give Ziva her assignment."

"Is that what he gets to do now that Grandpa's a bigwig?"

This time Tim does laugh. The thought of Leroy Jethro Gibbs being called a bigwig by anyone just strikes him as funny. In a way it is true, because Gibbs is the assistant director. He'd taken the position the year after Ducky died.

"Yes, in a way I guess you can say that Daddy is Ziva's boss, just like he's my boss."

"You like my Daddy, huh Uncle Tim?"

"Yeah, he's my best friend, just don't tell him that. We don't want him getting a big head now do we?"

"Nope." Donny wriggles down from Tim's arms, stopping at the couch to grab his favorite blankie and stuffed animal. Tim settles in the lay-z-boy and reaches for his nephew who snuggles close.

"Once upon a time, a long long long time ago, there lived a knight named Anton. Anton was one of the most well loved knights throughout the land, and decided that he wanted to have a contest to see if any of the knights in the realm would be worthy of marrying his sister, Abigail."

***

"Aunt Abby don't like being called Abigail."

"I know. We all have names we don't like."

"I don't like it when Mommy calls me Donald. That means I'm in trouble."

***

"So word went out across the land. Soon the castle that Anton resided in was swarming with knights. Anton and Abby had talked about the games that would decide who had a chance to win Abby's hand.

They decided on three games. Now these games were something that every knight in the realm grows up learning it was just a matter of who had the best skills. The first contest would be archery. That's using a bow and arrow to hit a target."

***

"Like Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves. That's one of Daddy's favorite movies."

"Yeah, it's similar."

***

The archery contest consisted of five stages. Each stage the targets were moved back another 10 feet with the starting target being 50 feet away. At the end of the archery contest the top ten archers would draw straws to see who would go first and the closest one to the bull's-eye in the center would be the winner."

Twenty knights stepped forward to accept the challenge. Among them, was a slim youth with long dark hair that was pulled back into a ponytail. Most of the other knights laughed at such a small fellow trying to compete with them. There were however two who did not laugh.

Anyone care to guess which two???? Heheheh


	9. Chapter 7

Knights of the NCIS Table Chapter 7

_Twenty knights stepped forward to accept the challenge. Among them, was a slim youth with long dark hair that was pulled back into a ponytail. Most of the other knights laughed at such a small fellow trying to compete with them. There were however two who did not laugh. _

A small hand tugs at Tim's shirt. He looks into Donny's blue eyes as the boy whispers, "Where's Aunt Ziva?"

Tim smiles, "You've already met her. See if you can find her now."

***

The youth with the long dark hair was paired up against Anton's least favorite knight, Leonard, a tall, black skinned fellow who always had a piece of wood in his mouth. Anton was never sure what the wood was for, and the knight never said. As they prepared for the first round of archery Anton sent up a silent prayer that the dark haired youth win the round.

Five long minutes passed as the first round of archers let their arrows fly. Leonard hit just inside the bull's-eye, but the youth next to him just smiled. His arrow flew straight and true, into the center of the target. While the targets were being reset for the rest of the archers, Anton went down to congratulate the first round's winners and saw to his surprise that the youth was in actuality, a woman.

Now he hadn't stipulated that the knights who participated be male, yet he was vaguely surprised to see a female in the ranks. Anton sidled up to the female and asked her who she was.

***

"It's Aunt Ziva!"

***

The female knight smiled at the question and turned her brown gaze on Anton. "You do not remember me?"

Anton backs up in surprise, he was certain he'd never met this woman before.

"I used to play with you and your sister before my family moved away. Abby and I became blood brothers with you when we both turned eight."

He remembers her now. She'd been a scrappy thing back then too. Always ready to attack anyone who offended her friends and family. Loyal to him and his sister until the day her family had left. He starts to give her a hug, and then remembers that most of the other knights wouldn't know that she's a woman. He settles for a handshake, the one that they'd practiced as kids. She laughs as she completes the routine with him.

***

"Is that like our secret handshake, Uncle Tim?"

Tim looks down at him and nods, "If you want it to be."

"Yeah, that'd be way cool."

***

Anton looks around to see just who all is participating in the day's event and is mildly surprised to see King Jed walk in.

"My liege, it is an honor to see you here."

"Pleasure is all mine, Anton. I take it that your friend Thym is doing well?"

Thym is a blue dragon that had once breathed ice instead of fire. Anton had befriended the dragon and even had the pleasure of traveling with the wyrm for several months.

"Thym's in hibernation at the moment. I figured this would be a good way to keep him safe from hunters until he fully awakens."

Jed nods in approval. He still wasn't too sure what to make of the blue dragon, but trusted Anton's instincts where the beast was concerned.

"Who is Thym?" Anton's friend hadn't been at King Jed's castle when Anton, Jed, and several others had met the dragon. Anton gives her a look that silently tells her that he'll explain the story later. She nods and holds out her hand to Jed.

"I am called Ziva. I had the pleasure of playing with Anton and Abigail when we were all small children."

Jed shakes her hand, "I'm Jed, I --." He's interrupted by an excited squeal.

"Ziva, Ziva, Ziva, you're here! Hello King Jed, have you been introduced? Come on Ziva, I have got to tell you what's new!"

Ziva finds herself being dragged away by the over enthusiastic Abigail.

***

"Don't call her that too often or she'll bop you in the head, Uncle Tim."

Tim smiles in memory.

***

Sorry to take so long to update folks. We've been doing remodeling at work, which means major head-aches, oops I mean overtime, so my updates over the next week or so may be few and far between. In the meantime, Happy Valentine's Day!


	10. Chapter 8

Knights of the NCIS Table Chapter 8

"_Who is Thym?" Anton's friend hadn't been at King Jed's castle when Anton, Jed, and several others had met the dragon. Anton gives her a look that silently tells her that he'll explain the story later. She nods and holds out her hand to Jed. _

"_I am called Ziva. I had the pleasure of playing with Anton and Abigail when we were all small children." _

_Jed shakes her hand, "I'm Jed, I --." He's interrupted by an excited squeal. _

"_Ziva, Ziva, Ziva, you're here! Hello King Jed, have you been introduced? Come on Ziva, I have got to tell you what's new!"_

_Ziva finds herself being dragged away by the over enthusiastic Abigail. _

_***_

"_Don't call her that too often or she'll bop you in the head, Uncle Tim."_

_Tim smiles in memory._

***

The archery tournament closes and King Jed is named the winner. At the supper table that night, Leonard asks Anton what the next two contests will consist of. Anton smiles and says he'll tell them in the morning, that for now they can just enjoy the meal, the ale, the entertainment.

Morning dawns and the knights all file out to the courtyard. They stop in confusion at the myriad of ropes, boards, and other paraphernalia that is littering the immediate area and seems to extend out to the moat. A wooden ladder is suspended between the gates that lead into the courtyard.

Another ladder is lying on the ground. Two ropes are tied parallel to each other and lead from the ground ladder to a fishing net which is propped up by several stakes. Ten feet from the net is a shallow hole measuring three feet wide by 6 feet long. The hole is filled with smoldering embers.

***

"Uncle Tim is Thym the dragon there too?"

"Yup, he's the one who lit the fire."

"Cool, is he hiding then?"

"I'm not sure, do we want him to hide or shall we keep him just out of range of everyone else?"

"Hmmm...Can we do both? Have him hide just out of sight of everyone? Have him be in the moat?"

"That's a good possibility. He's blue so he'd blend into the water quite well."

***

Immediately following the fire pit is a similar hole filled with water. Five feet away from the water, are twenty flags representing the twenty knights that are present for the days games.

Anton leads the men out of the yard to the first ladder and demonstrates how to go through the variety of obstacles. At the end he picks up a flag that belongs to King Jed and places it in Abby's hand. Hand over hand on the suspended ladder, stepping between the rungs of the one on the ground. Running between the ropes he drops to ground by the net and shimmies his way under it. He then jumps to his feet, runs over the burning embers and glides through the water pit. He then picks up the hourglass that is lying by her feet.

"The four knights that manage to complete the course within the hour, and place their flag in Abby's hand will go on to the joust."

Out of the twenty knights that start the course, two fall off the first ladder and three trip over the next ladder. Four knights manage to get caught up in the net, making the knights fall out of the competition and Anton having to reset the net for the next in line. At the ember pit, two knights burn the soles of their feet, making them unable to continue. The water trap was the worst. One knight drowned, two others almost drowned and two completely refused to even try crossing.

Of the four that crossed, one was King Jed, one was the knight known as Leonard, and Ziva proudly handed her flag to her friend. The fourth knight was a complete surprise to everyone. The knight that handed in the fourth flag was none other than—

Yes, I am a wicked, wicked person and am leaving it there…mwaahahahahahah.


	11. Chapter 9

You know, my readers and reviewers are awesome people. Thank you to all who not only read, but also review. Tremendous thanks for all those that put not just the story but me on alert. It is truly appreciated. Tigyr.

Knights of the NCIS Table Chapter 9

_Of the four that crossed, one was King Jed, one was the knight known as Leonard, and Ziva proudly handed her flag to her friend. The fourth knight was a complete surprise to everyone. The knight that handed in the fourth flag was none other than—_

***

Donny wriggles in his uncle's lap. Tim sets him down and the little boy rushes to the kitchen where he pulls out two bottles of water. Donny runs back to where Tim is, hands him the waters and then pulls himself back onto Tim's lap.

"Good thinking Donny."

"You're getting to the good part; I don't want to be interrupted."

Tim gives his nephew a hug as he hides a smile. They both take a good long sip of their drinks and then Tim gets back into the story.

***

Actually, Anton isn't sure he knows who the fourth knight is. The crest on the flag looks familiar, yet he can't quite place it. The knight in question keeps his helm on, obscuring his face from view.

***

"What's obsc-- obscr --?"

"What's obscuring mean? It means to keep hidden or to shield."

"Ohh, okay. It's not Thym is it? We're keeping him in the moat right?"

"Yep he's still in the moat."

***

The joust is the final test in gaining Abby's hand. Anton smiles as he watches his sister interact with all the knights that are in the hall. His sister's friendly demeanor makes her a popular figure even with the dourest of knights. She always has a smile on her face and a bounce in her step. The fact that she's beautiful hasn't escaped him either.

***

"Unnccllee Tiiiimmm! You're dragging out the story!"

****

The jousting started with all four knights mounted on their favorite warhorse. As King Jed and Leonard were the first two knights to hand in their flags, they are the first to ride. The men are fairly evenly matched in height and build. Both lances were the same length and weight. It wasn't until the third pass that King Jed managed to maneuver his horse so that Leonard's lance broke against Jed's shield. By unspoken agreement both men then drew their long swords. On the first pass, Leon was upset from his horse and King Jed immediately dismounted to continue their contest on foot. Forty minutes pass during the fight. Finally Jed manages to disarm his opponent leaving Leonard to fight barehanded.

Jed tosses his sword to his squire, Zavad who catches it and places it with Jed's other equipment. The two knights square off in hand to hand combat. Leonard does his best, throwing punches and kicks, but Jed is more agile than the other man. He quickly has the black knight pinned under him.

The fight between Ziva and the fourth knight is just as exciting. While Ziva is the one to cause the mystery knight's lance to break, she is also the one thrown from her horse. In the sword fight, Ziva is the clear winner while the mystery knight goes toe to toe with her in the hand to hand combat. It's just bad luck on Ziva's part that she ends up tripping and getting a fist to her jaw effectively knocking her out.

That leaves the mystery knight to face off against King Jed. Anton tells the participants that they will have one hour to prepare before the final battle. He then goes off to check on Ziva and finds that Jamie, King Jed's wizard is there taking care of her wounds.

"Hello Anton, I was wondering how our mutual friend is doing."

Anton smiles as he says, "Thym is in the moat, he helped create the water and fire pits that they went through earlier. He says he likes swimming in there. He's the reason that it's so wide. We created it with him in mind."

"Who is Thym? You never did explain him to me." Ziva's softly spoken complaint makes both men turn around. Anton asks her how she's feeling and she lightly touches her jaw line.

"Like I was punched with an iron fist." She smiles wryly as she sits up. She extends her hand to Jamie as she introduces herself.

"I am Ziva, a friend to Anton and Abby for many years."

Jamie blushes slightly as he shakes her hand. "I – I'm Jamie. I, I'm the mage for King Jed and his castle."

"Nice to meet you Jamie, now who is Thym?"

Anton knows that Ziva is like a dog with a bone once she has a thought in her mind. He smiles and has the other two follow him out to a secluded area that no one else knows about. Thym is swimming in the moat, surfacing every now and then for a breath of air. Anton whistles and Thym halts his swimming. He clambers out of the moat and sits on the ground waiting for his friend to approach.

Thym waits for the others to get close before shaking the excess water from his scales. Anton affectionately growls at him while Ziva and Jamie just look on in wonder.

"Thym I'm sure that you remember Jamie, and this young person is Ziva. She grew up with me and Abby when we were all kids."

Thym blows a gentle warming breath over the threesome drying their clothes then nods at Ziva and Jamie.

"Anton how on earth did you tame a dragon?" Ziva is in awe as she stares at Thym's blue scales.

"I didn't tame him; he's a friend of mine. He came to see King Jed about a year ago, we fixed the problem he was having and became buds."

"Buds?" The other two look from Anton to Thym in confusion.

"It means buddies or friends, pals if you will. Anton was kind enough to travel with me for several months, and I am proud to consider him my friend."

***

"Just like you and Daddy are best friends in real life huh?"

"Yep, just like your daddy and I are best friends for real."

*****

Two unseen listeners smile at each other. Tony and Sarah had arrived home during the first part of this story, but decided not to interrupt the pair in the living room. They chose to take the baby monitor to another room while they listened to Tim weave his tale.

*****

Anton leaves Ziva and Jamie in Thym's company while he goes back to check on the two remaining competitors. King Jed is flexing his arms and legs, stretching muscles before they could get cold and sore again. The mystery knight is doing the same thing. Once again Anton is certain he knows who this knight is, but for the life of him cannot remember.

The time comes for the final joust between the two knights. Both are mounted once again, and Anton feels a bit of unease. The mystery knight is smaller than Jed, or so it appears. As the two knights kick their horses into the run, Anton sees a move made by the mystery knight that reminds him of someone he knew years ago. A slender youth, training with one of the truly great knights. Franks was the best swordsman in the land and had trained not only Anton but King Jed himself.

This mystery knight was Franks' protégé. A roar from the crowd brings Anton's gaze back to the list where the mystery knight was getting up after being unhorsed. The knight drew his sword just as King Jed charged. King Jed's blade met the steel of the mystery knight and the two knights fought hard for another hour. Finally exhaustion or sore muscles cause the mystery knight to drop his sword.

King Jed steps back, allows the mystery knight to draw a few breaths before engaging the knight in hand to hand. Not even a full five minutes pass before the mystery knight is pinned to the ground. King Jed smiles as he extends his hand to the defeated knight. The knight accepts the hand up and finally takes off HER helm.

Anton almost falls out of his seat as he sees the blue black hair of the woman in front of him. It was Sarah, not just Franks protégé but King Jed's adopted daughter. Jed is laughing with his daughter as they see not only Anton's expression but that of the crowd.

***

"Wow, didn't see that one coming." Tony's comment is met by a giggle from Sarah as she looks at his stunned expression.

***

Anton steps down and announces King Jed the winner of the competition and of Abby's hand. Abby flies down the steps and hurtles into Jed's open arms. Anton looks at Sarah and finds himself speechless. He finally congratulates her on making it to the final round.

Ziva and Jamie come around the corner and Jamie is smiling at something that Ziva has told him. Out of the corner of his eye, Anton sees Thym starting to fly off into the distance. He waves and gets a wing dipped in response.

***

"I didn't know that Mommy could be a good fighter too! That was cool!" Donny hugs his Uncle Tim and upstairs two parents smile at the pleasure in their son's voice.

*****

"It was kinda cool that Mommy was a good fighter too. I know I appreciate her skills, even if they are with words and pen." Tony's smiling as he looks at his wife who narrows her eyes at him in mock annoyance.

"Surely I have more skill than that? Or have you forgotten just how we created not just Donny but this little one that's inside me."

Tony gulps and shakes his head no as his wife proceeds to demonstrate just what other skills she does have.

End -- of Ziva's tale anyway.


	12. Chapter 1o

Author's note: this story will take place several weeks after my other Knights stories. All normal disclaimers still apply.

Knights of the NCIS Table—Tim's story chapter one

Timothy McGee takes a deep breath as he prepares himself for the next round of story telling. His nephew, Donald "Donny" DiNozzo loved to hear the tales that Tim loved to tell him. He and Tony, Donny's father, had just come off a week long case, and Tim dearly needed the downtime that telling stories to his nephew gave to him. He knocks on the front door and lets himself into the house.

"Uncle Tim! Uncle Tim! You're here, hurray!"

Tim looks up at Sarah and Tony both of whom shrug at their son's enthusiasm. Tony offers Tim a cup of coffee who declines and reaches for a glass of water. Sarah gives her big brother a hug. She then asks him if he'll watch Donny for a half hour so that she and Tony can get some shopping done. Tim nods in agreement, wanting only to sit down and relax into his pretend world.

As Tony and Sarah get ready to step out the back door, they hear Donny ask, "Uncle Tim, when are you gonna get married?"

Tony and Sarah look at each other in horror. Of all the questions for their son to ask, they never thought he'd ask that one. Then again, since all of the team had someone with the exception of Tim, maybe it's not such a surprise after all.

For his part, Tim isn't really surprised by the question. He ponders how to answer it when Tony and Sarah walk back in the room. Tony sends him a questioning stare, silently asking if he is comfortable answering the four-year-old's question. Tim gives a surreptitious nod. Tim clears his throat as he quickly runs down the answer for his nephew.

"Before I answer your question, is there a reason you want to know?"

"Well, Daddy has Mommy, Grandpa has Abby and Jimmy has Ziva. Who do you have?"

"I don't know when I'm going to get married. You can see how happy your mom and dad are, well when I get married, I want my wife and I to be that happy too."

Tony slips a hand back to his wife, who grabs it and squeezes. They'd had a bumpy ride to get this far, and Tim's loyal support for both of them helped the romance not only build but survive. They both know that Tim hasn't had much time lately to even look at a woman let alone try to get into conversation or a relationship with her. The cases that the team has been on have been lengthy and almost mind-numbing in their complexity.

As Tony seldom has little more strength than to hug Sarah and Donny when he's been getting home, he knows that his Probie probably hasn't done much online gaming. Tony knows that he's lucky to have a wife like Sarah who supports the job that he does and understands that late nights come with the job. Of course since Tim is a fellow agent that might be a factor towards her understanding why Tony can't be home for dinner at 7 o'clock every night.

"Eventually I'm sure that I'll find the right woman, that person who wants to help me take care of Jethro, who understands that I work a demanding job, and that I love my family. She'll have to understand that I love to spend time with my sister, my friends and my nephew and hopefully any nephews or nieces that come along later."

"Will she like me too?"

"Of course she will. It's one of the conditions I'll insist on when I get married. She has to like you and mommy and daddy. She even has to like Grandpa and Abby and Jimmy and Ziva."

"Okay. Can I meet her soon?"

"As soon as I meet her I'll let you meet her too." He looks up at Tony and Sarah as he says it. The look of despair of not being able to even meet anyone right now is enough to make the other two look away.

Tony catches Tim's eye, asking again if he needs support. To his credit Tim shakes his head no. He'll find a way to keep a smile on for the child in his lap. Tony and Sarah leave again, this time making it out to their vehicle.

Sorry for the small chapter, but Tim's section of the story is going to be a bit longer than most of the others, if the plot bunnies have anything to say about it. On a personal note, this story is for my best friend who's read the entire series so far and keeps encouraging me to keep going. Thanks Tam.


	13. Chapter 11

Knights of the NCIS Table—Tim's story chapter 2

_Tony catches Tim's eye, asking again if he needs support. To his credit Tim shakes his head no. He'll find a way to keep a smile on for the child in his lap. Tony and Sarah leave again, this time making it out to their vehicle. _

"God Sarah now what do we do?" Tony leans his head against his wife's hair, holding her close. Sarah rubs his back, tears in her eyes as she thinks about her brother's response to her son's question.

"Is there anyone we know that isn't married or in a relationship?" she starts shaking her head at her own question.

They strap into their car, and drive to the supermarket. Together they get what they'll need for two weeks of groceries. Tony takes the right side of the market and Sarah the left side. They meet in the middle where the cereal aisle is. Sarah smiles as she finds some dinosaur cereal and puts it in her basket.

Tony cocks an eyebrow at the cereal knowing that it's not meant for him.

"It's for the times that Tim spends the night watching Donny for us. It was his favorite cereal when we were kids."

"Sarah." The tone in his voice makes her look up at him. There are fresh tears in her eyes as she remembers all the times she's taken her brother for granted.

"He'll find someone Sarah, we did."

What Sarah was going to say is interrupted as slender hand reaches out to pick up a box of cereal next to the one they were holding.

"Excuse me; I was trying not to barge in." The speaker is a tall woman with shoulder length blonde hair. She looks at the couple for a minute before saying, "Aren't you Tim McGee's sister? We met at a seminar your brother was doing on computer forensics."

Sarah extends her hand, "I'm sorry I don't remember meeting you."

The woman smiles in return, "That's okay; I was part of the security detail at the time so I'm not surprised. My name is Holly Breaker."

"This is my husband Tony DiNozzo. If you want I can tell Tim that we met you." Her voice trails off remembering her son's earlier question.

Holly is shaking Tony's hand and saying, "If Tim is still living around here we might actually meet sometime in the future. I'm opening a new restaurant for a friend of mine over in Georgetown. We should be open in a few months."

Sarah asks, "Do you have a business card I can take back to him? He's watching our son right now, and I can let him know you're here."

Holly smiles and takes a card out of her pocket. She grabs a pen out of her purse and writes something on the card. She then hands the card to Sarah.

"That's my current address, phone number and the name of the restaurant that Max and I are opening. If Tim has time, have him give me a call." With that she walks away and Sarah starts feeling relief for the first time. The address on the card is only a few blocks away from Tim's apartment. She hands the card to Tony who nods and pockets the card.

"I'll have Abby analyze it before giving it to him. He's had enough disappointments these past few years."

"Okay, I have to admit I remember a seminar that had high security on it but I really don't remember her being there."

"If she's that good then you wouldn't have seen her sweetheart. When I was in Baltimore we had a few detectives that when they went undercover you never knew where they were until they were right beside you."

They finish buying their groceries and head for home. Tony detours to the Navy Yard, so that Abby can check the card and verify Holly's identity.

Meanwhile, Tim and Donny have been deciding on which knight to bring into the next story. Tim has gone through the list of agents/knights and Donny has rejected every one. He turns to his uncle and says, "Can you tell me a story about Thym the dragon? He needs a dragon friend and you can make one up for him, can't you?"

Tim swallows the lump in his throat at his nephew's wanting the dragon to have a friend.

"You know that Anton is his friend, right?"

"Yeah, but Thym needs another dragon to fly with, someone who will be able to stay with him all the time. Anton will be needed by King Jed like Daddy and you are needed by Grandpa."

Tim clears his throat, "Well then, shall we make Thym's new friend a girl dragon?"

Donny actually takes a full two minutes to think about it before saying, "Yes, Thym the dragon needs a girl friend."

A/N: Don't you love it when the kids play matchmaker


	14. Chapter 12

Knights of the NCIS Table-- Tim's story chapter 3

_Tim clears his throat, "Well then, shall we make Thym's new friend a girl dragon?"_

_Donny actually takes a full two minutes to think about it before saying, "Yes, Thym the dragon needs a girl friend."_

Tim the man takes a deep breath, lets it out slowly. He grabs his bottle of water and takes a deep drink while his brain processes the variety of dragons that he's encountered online.

"Do you want a big girl dragon or a little one?" he's thinking and not really finding any dragons that could be sympathetic to a blue dragon, most of which are generally considered to be an evil creature. Of course this is his story so the dragon can be anything he wants it to. As he's already made Thym a good natured blue dragon the possibilities are limitless.

"A little one, like me."

"So, she has to have gold scales and blue eyes and talks all the time about movies she's seen? Oh wait that would be taking after your dad." They both snicker.

"Nooooo, she has to be smart and nice, and like to do things with Thym. Like I like to do things with you."

"So shall we make her a pseudo-dragon?"

"What's that?"

Tim thinks about the pseudo-dragons he's read about. "She would be a tiny dragon, only three feet long, two feet of which is her tail."

"Wow, that's a really long tail!"

"Mmmhmm. She would have a stinger in her tail, which is her main weapon, and she is telepathic, she can speak with her mind."

"Ohh, yeah that sounds awesome."

"The best thing though is that she is a chameleon. She can fade into the background of whatever she's touching. So if she sits on Thym's shoulder she'll take on his coloring and look like part of Thym."

"She won't stay blue though will she?"

"Not if you don't want her to. What do you want her main colors to be? Usually a pseudo-dragon is a reddish brown color but this is our story so we can make her whatever color you want."

Donny whispers in his uncle's ear and Tim nods. He settles into his favorite position, cradles Donny close and starts the new tale.

***

Anton and Sarah are getting married. That is the news across the land. King Jed's favorite knight is finally tying the knot. The feast for such an event is planned in a hurry as neither Anton nor Sarah wanted to be kept apart for longer than is necessary.

Abby, Ziva and Sarah make all the decorative plans while Anton, Jamie and King Jed go hunting wild game. Anton first heads to the cave that Thym likes to stay in when he is in the neighborhood. Thym is lying just outside the cave sunning himself like a great big blue scaled cat.

"Hullo friend." Thym says upon seeing Anton.

***

Donny giggles because when Tim said "Hullo friend," he sounded just like Eeyore.

***

"Hey Thym, we're going hunting would you like to come with us?" Anton isn't really sure why he's inviting the dragon as such a creature usually frightens most of the game away.

"If you'd like my company, I'd be happy to accompany you. Do—would you like me to become human for that time?"

Anton gapes at him in surprise. "You can do that? Why didn't you do that at the tournament?"

"It's difficult to remain in that form for long periods of time. If I had come to the tournament as a human I would have had to change back again and sometimes I can't control when the change occurs."

"You do whatever is best for you." Anton's loyalty to his friend makes the dragon duck his head in pleasure. Although it has been many years since he last took human form, Thym slowly eases into the smaller form. When he's done, he is as tall as Anton, with green eyes, golden brown hair and blue scale mail covers his body. His face is slightly rounded, and youthful.

He turns to Anton and asks, "Do I look all right?"

Anton walks around him, examining him from head to toe. "Yeah, wow, Thym I'd have never thought you were a dragon if I didn't know you better."

A small smile crosses Thym's lips and he follows Anton out to where Jamie and King Jed are waiting. The other two are confused for a moment until they see the twinkle in the green eyes and realize that the young man in front of them is none other than Thym. Jed leans down from his saddle as he shakes Thym's hand, "I apologize, if I'd known that you would be in this form I'd have arranged another horse for you."

Thym shakes his head, "there aren't too many who would let me ride them. They don't mind if I'm near them but I think they're afraid I'll break their back. I can keep up with you as long as you don't gallop for too long of a time."

His attempt at humor is rewarded with smiles from the other three. Anton mounts his horse and they head off. Half an hour later they all stop as Thym sees something that the humans can't detect. He holds up a hand and they all wait to see what he's discovered.

***

Yep we have to wait to find out what they've discovered. And for any die-hard gamers out there, yes, I know that blue dragons are considered lawful evil. However I'm claiming artistic license here for myself and Tim, and running/writing with it.


	15. Chapter 13 Tim Chapter 4

Knights of the NCIS Table—Tim's story chapter 4

_They finish buying their groceries and head for home. Tony detours to the Navy Yard, so that Abby can check the card and verify Holly's identity_.

Tony looks at Sarah as he pulls into the Navy Yard. She nods at the decision they're making and opens her door. He escorts her down to Abby's lab. The Goth is once again dancing to music loud enough to wake the dead, and Tony turns it off. Abby's initial ire is replaced by her ecstatic greeting when she sees both Tony and Sarah.

Tony interrupts her, "Hey Abbs, can you do a background check on this for me please?" Tony hands her the business card that Holly Breaker had given to him. He's placed it in a clear bag and Abby frowns at what he's not telling her.

"What's going on here Tony?"

"It's just a background information check Abby. We met her in the supermarket and she said she was interested in meeting Tim."

"Okay, so am I doing a fingerprint check and everything on her or what?"

"This is Tim we're looking out for Abby. We want the works."

He turns to leave and Gibbs is waiting behind him. He looks at the name on the card, then at the name of the restaurant and sighs. "DiNozzo what are you doing now?"

"Gibbs, I know it's unorthodox but I need to know that we're not setting Tim up for another disappointment. The lady seemed fine when we met her, but after all he's been through I'm not willing to lose him to another freaking weirdo. No offense Abby."

"None taken Tony. Wow, Tony, she's pretty. She's the only child of a retired army couple. She's a former cop too Tony. Looks like she was wounded in the line of duty. Currently working as one of the top chefs for a chain of restaurants known as The Knotted C. Aside from that, there's not much information."

"Former cop thanks Abbs. Hey what city was she affiliated with as a cop?"

"Umm…here it comes, Aspen, Colorado. Hey Tony, look at this, her surgeon, a Dr. Fields, is now her boss at the restaurant. How does that happen?"

"Multi-tasking Abbs." Gibbs comment earns quick smiles all around the room.

"Must be, she is a recipient of the James Beard award. That's a prestigious cooking award only given to the top in the field. And that's about all I can find on her right now. You know if you really want to know if she's on the up and up just have Gibbs meet her. His gut never steers us wrong."

Tony, Sarah and Abby all turn and stare at the spot where Gibbs is standing. He shakes his head at their expressions. One or even two of them he could have resisted, all three and he knows he is heading for Holly Breaker's apartment. He is just glad Tim wasn't in the room. The young man might have gotten a bit embarrassed at the trouble Tony and Sarah were going through to protect him.

Sighing to himself, he says nothing as he glances at the card in Abby's hand. He looks at the actual name on the card and tells Abby to run a check on the name Laurie Fields. Abby looks up to ask him why but the former boss of the MCRT is heading for the elevator. Abby sighs and types in the name she'd seen crossed out on the business card.

"Uh-oh." Tony and Sarah were about to follow Gibbs when Abby said that.

"What is it Abbs?"

"I don't know Tony. I put in the information and while I get current information, as far as Dr. Fields being a surgeon and a restaurateur, I get no other information. It's as if she didn't exist prior to becoming a doctor and a chef."

Before they can say anything Tony's cell rings. He looks at the number and raises an eyebrow. "It's coming from the bullpen. Sarah, stay here with Abby please." He meets Gibbs at the elevator in a dead run.

****

For now, that's where our story stands as my muse and I fight over how Gibbs will meet Holly and maybe even her boss. I will try another Tim and Donny chapter by the end of this weekend though.


	16. Chapter 14 Tim Chapter 5

Knights of the NCIS Table—Tim's story chapter 5

_Before they can say anything Tony's cell rings. He looks at the number and raises an eyebrow. "It's coming from the bullpen. Sarah, stay here with Abby please." He meets Gibbs at the elevator in a dead run._

Exiting the elevator both men come to a stop when they take in the form of a female standing by Tony's desk. She turns and Tony does a double take. The woman in front of him could pass for the twin of the woman he knows as Holly Breaker. The main difference so far? This woman is wearing combat fatigues and Fields is the name on her shoulder.

"May I help you --?" Gibbs watches as the leader of his MCRT takes command of the situation.

"It's Commander Laurie Fields. I just have a few questions regarding an employee of mine. You might remember requesting the background information on Holly Breaker. My main question is what in the name of Hell is NCIS doing requesting a background check on my cook?"

Resisting the urge to take a step back, Tony looks her in the eye. To his credit, Tony refrains from mentioning the Steven Seagal film Under Siege. He decides truth is the best option and tells the commander that he's investigating all females that come or want to come into contact with one of his agents.

"So you're telling me that your agent requires a background check on all his dates? What is he paranoid?"

"No, he's a good man who's had a lot of bad things happen when a supposedly nice woman meets him."

The commander stares at him. "He has no idea you're doing this. I suppose I can understand wanting to insure his safety and well being. It still doesn't mean that I condone it."

Gibbs decides it's time for him to butt in. "Commander, if you'll come with me, I will try to explain in more detail. Tony, go home and take your wife with you." It is a command not a request and Tony starts to protest but stops when he sees the gleam in Gibbs eye.

Upstairs, Gibbs motions the commander to a seat. She refuses and he sits on the edge of his desk looking her up and down. The woman in front of him pays him the same respect he'd just paid her, looking him up and down. She frowns slightly, and he wonders what put the frown there.

"Commander? I understand that you have questions, but I have one of my own. We just ran the search on your cook, how could you have gotten word of it this fast and to my bullpen even faster."

"Consider it classified, need to know and you don't. And before you start protesting it's for your people's protection, not mine."

Her tone is flat, and final. He stands up and goes toe to toe with her. She meets his look dead-on. As he looks into her eyes, he realizes that she's older than she first appears, at least Tony's age if not a bit older. There's concern in her eyes, who it's for he's not certain.

"Just why are you here Commander? And don't give me any bullshit about your cook. The fact that we ran a check on her background just gave you an added excuse to be here. So, why are you here?"

For the first time since he's met her, she looks away. He knows something's up. This woman isn't one to turn away from anything. Her eyes come back to his and he sees something new. Determination to deliver her news regardless of what it might cost her personally.

"I came here to tell not you but your agent, Timothy McGee that his father and mother passed away this morning." The exhaustion on her face finally makes sense. She'd been there when the McGee's died.

"What happened?"

"A maniac had taken several retired military couples hostage at a hotel in Hawaii. My unit was called in to take care of the situation. We managed but not before two of the couples had been killed."

"Who was the other couple?" He's waiting for the other shoe to drop.

"Holly Breaker's parents."

***

A/N: Yes I really do have a plan for Tim and Holly to meet…admittedly it's under strained circumstances now. Darn them plot bunnies for killing off the parents. Next chapter, back to Tim and Donny.


	17. Chapter 15 Tim Chapter 6

Knights of the NCIS Table—Tim's story chapter 6

_Back to Tim and Donny's tale:_

_Half an hour later they all stop as Thym sees something that the humans can't detect. He holds up a hand and they all wait to see what he's discovered. _

Thym strides forward, not knowing what exactly is in the trees ahead, just trusting his gut that he'd actually seen something. Ten full seconds pass and he's about to signal the others to come forward when he sees it again; a glint in the trees where nothing should be glinting. He breaks into a run, not wanting the others to be endangered should it prove to be an enemy.

Anton and the other men stare as Thym runs. The dragon runs faster than their horses and is quickly out of sight. Anton turns to King Jed, "Did you know that he could run that fast?"

Jamie speaks up for the first time that day. "Actually, since he is a dragon and they do fly faster than anything known to man, it makes sense that he can run that fast as a human."

***

"How fast can Thym fly Uncle Tim?" Donny's blue eyes are as wide as pools, listening to his uncle's story.

Tim doesn't hesitate, "They are like the Concorde when it comes to speed. And one thing that Thym loves is flying. Just like you, and how you like to fly like Superman."

"Yup I like it when you and Daddy help me fly like Superman."

***

The glint Thym had seen grows in intensity the closer he gets. He slows and looks behind him to see where the others are. They are almost a mile behind him, due to his speed even when in this form. He looks ahead and there in a tree is his target. He uses his innate ability to levitate up to the branch where the glint is revealed to be a scale.

The scale is apparently one of his, from when he'd been drifting, alone, without friends. He'd lost a lot of scales in that time period, most of which have grown back. This one however is covering a hole in the tree. He gingerly reaches inside and quickly pulls his hand back when he hears the hissing.

He examines his hand which, thanks to his scale mail is unscathed. His scales are tingling however due to the poison which is dripping off of them. He mutters a rare dragon curse and is surprised when it's answered. He levitates further up until he's sitting on the branch and slowly removes the scale. A small reptilian head peeks out from the hole and hisses at him. That's when he realizes that whatever else it is, this little dragon is alive.

**Well of course I'm alive, ya silly old dragon what else would I be?**

Thym almost falls off the branch. He'd heard the smallest of voices inside his head. This little one could speak telepathically.

**It does help if you have some intelligence to communicate with. You are intelligent aren't you?** the voice is perky, youthful and female.

**I am called Thym. I haven't, no one has spoken to me in this fashion for over 100 years.**

***

"Wow, a hundred years, that's like forever Uncle Tim."

"Yes but dragons can live forever or at least several hundred years. We have to remember that Thym is almost 500 years old."

"Whoa, that's older than Grandpa Jefro."

Tim chuckles at the reference to Gibbs age. Donny has called Gibbs Grandpa Jefro from the time he started talking and doesn't think that the older man actually minds too much or that Gibbs will demand to be called anything else from this particular DiNozzo.

***

The small head pokes out of the hole and stares up at Thym with great big luminescent purple eyes. Thym smiles at the creature which slowly eases itself out of the hole. He extends his scale covered arm and she gingerly climbs up to his shoulder, gripping lightly with her claws as she does so. The dragon balances herself by wrapping her tail around Thym's upper arm.

Thym looks at the small dragon and mentally asks if she's ready to meet his friends.

**Are they dragons like us?**

**No little one, to my knowledge we are the last of the dragon kin. My friends are humans, and I trust them with my life.**

She nods her head as they descend. Once on the ground Thym waits for the humans to catch up to them. Two minutes pass before Anton appears. He waves at Thym who waves back with his free arm.

"Hey Thym, buddy, can you try not to run so fast next time? I don't think Strider here could keep up a second time."

"My apologies, Sir Anton, I was only trying to protect you."

"Did you find anything?" He still hasn't seen the dragon draped around Thym's arm.

"I'll wait until the others arrive to show you my findings."

"Cool then you did find something."

***

A/N: Yep I'm leaving it there. Mean of me, I know, but what can I say other than the plot bunnies made me do it.


	18. Chapter 16 Tim Chapter 7

Knights of the NCIS Table—Tim's story chapter 7

"_Who was the other couple?" He's waiting for the other shoe to drop. _

"_Holly Breaker's parents." _

Gibbs doesn't break eye contact as he pulls out his cell phone. "Tony, listen to me, do not let Tim leave, I'll explain when I get there. And Tony, no questions until I get there."

Gibbs lightly touches the commander on her shoulder, "Hey I'll take you to Tim. We need to stop first though and pick up Holly, that way you can tell them at the same time." For some reason, he knows that she'd come straight to NCIS without stopping at Holly's house.

She nods in agreement, clears her throat and follows him out to his car. They drive in silence and Gibbs wonders how to explain this one to Vance.

"Vance knows, I called him once we'd secured the area. He was the one who recommended I come and talk to your agent."

Gibbs makes a mental note to crawl through the phone lines and head slap his director. He pulls up in front of Holly's apartment building and opens his door. He doesn't bother asking Laurie if she wants him there. He opens Laurie's car door and escorts her to Holly's door.

Laurie takes a deep breath and knocks on the door. Holly opens it dressed in blue jeans and a turtleneck. She looks first at Laurie and then at the man standing behind her.

"Laurie?"

"Holly, I need you to come with us please. I'll explain when we get to where we're going."

Holly nods and grabs her purse and jacket. She locks the door behind her and follows the others out to the waiting car. Gibbs opens both doors before going around to the driver's side. He makes sure the women are buckled in and takes off for Tony and Sarah's.

Tony in the meantime, has ordered supper. When he and Sarah pull into their driveway, Tim meets them at the door and helps Tony carry in the groceries. Tim gets ready to leave and Tony says, "Hey why don't you stay for supper. My treat since we took a little longer and you know Donny will love it."

He plays his trump card and brings Jethro inside. The big dog runs over to Donny who giggles and runs out to the backyard the dog in hot pursuit. Soon the air is filled with little boy laughter and the sound of a happy dog barking.

"What's going on Tony?" Tim's voice is hushed as they watch Donny play.

"I don't know kid, all I know is that Gibbs called and asked me to keep you here until he arrives."

Tim shakes his head, knowing that whatever Gibbs has to say, it can't be good. Not if he's delaying Tim's leaving. The delivery driver pulls up just then and Tony forks over money for the pizza.

"Come on, buddy let's at least try to eat before Gibbs gets here. Sarah, Donny, pizza's here."

The two go back inside and get Donny started on his favorite meal. Sarah joins them and they just start to fill their plates when Gibbs pulls up outside. Tony gets up and motions for the others to stay put.

Seeing Gibbs escorting not one blonde but two, Tony briefly wonders if he's seeing double. Then he looks at the expression on Gibbs face. It's the stoic one, the one that Gibbs wears when he's the bearer of bad news. Tony greets both women and his boss and follows them back into the kitchen. Tim smiles briefly then asks the question Tony's wanted to ask all night.

"Boss what's going on?"

"Later McGee. Let Donny get his fill okay?"

The soft words, the somber, stoic expression makes Tim more nervous than ever. He nods quickly then looks up at the two women. As if reading his mind Donny asks, "Wow are you two twins?"

Gibbs smiles at Donny's question. He knew bringing everyone together had been the right choice. Tonight's discussion would bring heartache to at least three people in this room more likely four considering how close Tony, Tim and Sarah are. Not to mention the grief the McGee siblings would be going through. He just wondered how he was going to get his team through the rest of the weekend if this is how Friday started.

Tony answers his son's question before anyone else can.

"No, Donny they are not twins. Everyone this is Holly Breaker, and her boss Laurie Fields. Holly met Sarah and me at the supermarket this afternoon. Holly, this is Tim McGee, Sarah's brother and my best friend, you've met our boss Jethro Gibbs and this young scamp," he picks up Donny and swings him over his head much to Donny's delight, "is Donny."

Holly shakes hands with Tim and Donny. She's still not to sure why she's there but she'll wait until Laurie tells her what is going on. . They all finish eating then Sarah and Tony take Donny upstairs for his bath. While they wait, Tim escorts Holly into the living room. Gibbs and Laurie stay in the kitchen, loading the last of the dishes into the washer.

"Are you going to be okay explaining everything?" the thoughtful question brings Laurie's head up. She'd been trying to figure out how to tell three people that their parents are dead.

"I'll be okay, Jethro. Thank you for asking. I'm just trying to figure out the best way to tell them."

"It never gets any easier."

"No, especially when the one is like a sister to me. It's the questions that I'm dreading."

"I'll help if I see you need it."

"I appreciate it, thank you. Let's go tell them. God I hate this part of my job." Gibbs has to agree with her on that at least. Telling someone that their loved one is dead has never been easy for him either. They can hear Tony and Sarah coming back downstairs. Tim and Holly look up as the other four come into the room.

Laurie clears her throat and has the others sit down. "I'm sorry guys. There's no easy way to sugar coat this. I—Tim, Sarah, Holly, your parents were all killed this morning."

"What did you just say?" Holly goes pale.

"Boss, she's kidding right?" Tony's not sure what to think

"But I just talked to mom and dad two days ago." Sarah's voice is full of confusion

"It can't be true; we just, like Sarah said we just talked to them." Tim's green eyes look over at his boss, Donny's Grandpa Jefro, for confirmation. At the slow nod, Tim slumps back in the chair.

Tony stands up and starts pacing. "Why did it happen? Did the killer get caught? When do we get to go process the scene?"

Sarah looks at her husband, then at her brother. Seeing Tim's grief-stricken face she knows that the words are true. Her parents are dead.

Holly stands up and heads over to her boss. "What happened? Why didn't you save them?"

Laurie looks her straight in the eye. "Both couples were dead before my team was brought in. You know there is no way in Hell I'd lie to you. Not about something like this." Holly nods slowly.

"Did they suffer?" Tony's question brings Laurie's gaze back to him.

"No, it was quick for all four of them."

"You seem mighty sure of that, Commander." Tony's challenging her, demanding more information.

"I am sure of it Tony. My team was the first to respond after the shots were reported."

"How many were saved?" Gibbs question is confusing but she answers it anyway.

"We saved the other 18 couples and the entire hotel staff."

"What injuries to the unit?" Again, not a question she was expecting.

"We had two almost fatal injuries and several minor reported by the team. The only other fatalities were the kidnappers. Once we had the area secured, we called stateside and let Director Vance know what had happened. He immediately told me to report to NCIS here in Washington and let Tim know what had happened. As I needed to let Holly know, I came straightaway."

"What time did it happen?"

"We got the call at 09:30 hours. Upon arriving at the scene, we immediately ascertained that the McGee's and the Breaker's were D.O.A. We managed to secure the hostages, and take out the suspects by 10:25."

"Did you know who our parents were when you arrived?"

Laurie shakes her head at Tim's question. "I only knew the Breaker's due to my association with Holly. I did not know who your parents were until it was over. As soon as I had a positive identification on the McGee's, I called Vance and then came here."

Laurie looks at Holly, "I'm sorry, I just-there was nothing I could do. I thought you'd rather hear it from me than a stranger."

Holly nods as she tries to keep from crying. Tears are spilling down her cheeks, but before Laurie can try to comfort her, she's turning away, sitting back down on the sofa.

Tim and Sarah are huddled together openly crying and hugging each other. Tony looks at Gibbs. The older man is doing some mental calculating and not liking what he's finding. Tim wipes his eyes and asks Gibbs if he'll approve sending Jimmy and Abby out to Hawaii.

"I'd like Jimmy to do another autopsy and Abby to do her thing. Sorry Commander, but these are my parents and I need to make certain."

"It's all right Tim."

As Tim was speaking Holly turns back to Laurie. "You can bring them here for us. Then we wouldn't have to have his team leave. Unless, you already did, that's why you're so tired. You escorted them here, so that we'd get our answers sooner."

Gibbs is shaking his head. He knows that there is no possible way for the commander to have gotten the bodies of the parents to Washington in the time period allowed. Before he can say so, Laurie sighs and nods.

"They are in autopsy and Dr. Palmer is working on them as we speak."

"He didn't call us." Tony's looking more and more angry. Gibbs is still trying to figure out if Laurie's lying about the bodies.

"I asked him not to tell anyone until you have the confirmation you'll need to accept what I'm telling you."

"Abby would have called Gibbs by now, if that's the case."

Laurie shakes her head. She hadn't brought the forensic scientist any evidence. Just the bodies and Jimmy Palmer was forbidden to tell her anything about his discovery.

Just then Gibbs phone rings. "Yeah, Gibbs."

"Gibbs, Gibbs, you aren't going to believe this but, there's another McGee and he's on Jimmy's autopsy table. How can this be Gibbs?"

"Abbs, it's not Tim. He's standing right in front of me, listen to me Abbs. Just get the information and the facts; I'll be back in an hour for an update."

He shuts his phone and the others look up at him. He nods, silently cursing when the tears start coming down again.

"I'm sorry, McGee, Sarah. As you might have heard, Abby just identified former Commander McGee."

He turns to the commander. To her credit she doesn't back down when he stands in front of her. Too softly for the others to hear, he says, "We need to talk, Commander, alone."

Glancing around the room, Tim is now standing in front of the bay window, looking out at nothing. Tony has his arms around Sarah, holding her as she cries for her parents. Holly Breaker is sitting down, looking at her hands as silent tears roll down her cheeks.

Gibbs pulls his cell phone out again and dials Ziva's number. Instead of answering there's a knock at the door. Ziva is waiting outside and steps into the room. She nods at Gibbs silent question. Palmer had told her just after Abby got confirmation on the McGee's.

Ziva puts a hand on Tony's shoulder. He smiles sadly at her and relinquishes his wife into her hands. He then goes to stand by his probie. When Tony touches his shoulder Tim turns around and starts crying. Tony says nothing as he offers quiet consolation to the man in his arms. Tears are in Tony's eyes too, but he'll bury his grief until he's sure that Sarah and Tim are asleep.

Ziva hands Gibbs a small package. He nods as he opens it. Jimmy Palmer has gotten very good at reading Leroy Jethro Gibbs. Inside the case are three syringes, filled with a sleeping agent if needed.

Laurie looks at the case in Gibbs hand and frowns. She too knows what's in the syringes and knows also that Holly would be killed if she took it. Catching Gibbs eye, she looks first at Holly, then at the syringe and shakes her head.

Laurie stands beside Holly for a few minutes before lightly touching a few nerves, sending her into sleep. She then eases the younger woman onto her side, putting one of the sofa's pillows under her head.

Ziva immediately knows what she's done and prevents Gibbs and Tony from confronting her. "She has just made it possible for her to sleep."

"Why?" Gibbs question brings Laurie's gaze back to his.

"We can't knock her out with drugs as she's allergic. I had to do it this way if she's to get any sleep at all."

Ziva nods, "There is no side effects when you do that, correct?"

Laurie shakes her head. "If anything, she'll get a few hours of sleep without the headache that often occurs with drugs."

Tim looks at her from across the room. "Will you do that for me and Sarah too?" He can see Tony and Gibbs start to protest. "Please, we need to be able to think clearly when we wake up and drugs wont help us in that respect. Boss you always say to trust your gut, now I'm saying it. We need to trust her, at least in this."

"What are you thinking, McGee?" Gibbs knows that the younger man has a reason for wanting to trust Laurie.

"Boss, Holly told me that she and Laurie are closer than sisters. For her to do that to her sister tells me that she cares enough to make sure she gets at least an hour of sleep that's grief free. We all need that. I need that if I'm to make sure that I understand the answers to the questions that Abby's going to be bringing us."

Tony is starts to say something when the baby monitor alerts them to Donny's waking up. He darts out of the room and upstairs to his son. Donny is sitting up in his bed, crying softly.

"Hey, what's up with my favorite guy? Have a bad dream?"

Donny nods his head. "Granma Maggie said goodbye. She said she and Granpa are going to live in heaven."

Tony holds his son close. The tears he's been battling since finding out about Sarah and Tim's parents are brimming, and he knows that he's about to lose the battle. He takes a deep breath and blinking back the tears, looks into those dear blue eyes. "You remember meeting Miss Laurie? She came here to tell Uncle Tim and Mommy that Grandma and Grandpa were going to heaven."

"Why is Miss Holly here?"

Tony thinks fast, for once not having a movie quote, sure that the old movie Heaven Can Wait, isn't quite appropriate for this instance. "Miss Holly's parents are traveling with Grandma and Grandpa, so that they won't be alone when they get to heaven."

Downstairs, Sarah breaks down completely as she listens to her husband comfort her son. Ziva sends a despairing look towards Laurie who silently steps behind the grieving woman and touches the nerves necessary to send her into sleep. Together she and Ziva pick up the now sleeping Sarah and gently deposit her on the other couch.

Laurie looks at Ziva. "Do you know where they have extra blankets and pillows? We could just make up a quick bed down here for Donny if you want? That way he knows that his Mommy and Daddy are still with him."

Gibbs nods in agreement. He's standing by Tim, ready to offer his shoulder should the younger man want it. Ziva goes to the hallway and pulls open the closet door. Within minutes her hands are full of blankets and pillows. Tony comes back downstairs with Donny in his arms. He sees the nest that Ziva is making and smiles.

Donny is still trembling, and when he sees his mom sleeping starts to whimper. Tim quickly moves away from Gibbs and gently picks Sarah up, letting Donny feel her heartbeat before placing her on the makeshift bed. Then he's by Tony's side, talking softly to the scared child in his partner's arms.

"Hey, it's okay buddy look, Mommy's just sleeping. You want to lie down next to her, while I talk to your Daddy?"

Donny nods slowly and Tony gently lays him down next to Sarah. Even in sleep, Sarah reaches for her son, cradling him close, needing that extra comfort. Within seconds, Donny is sound asleep and Sarah is sleeping easier too.

Tony stays kneeling at his wife's side, tears falling from his eyes, not sure what he needs to be doing next. A callused set of fingers sends him into sleep right beside his wife and child. Tim looks at Laurie, green eyes pleading for the same mercy she's just shown his partner and sister. She nods and places one hand over his eyes. Gibbs stands behind him ready to catch him when he falls asleep.

As the youngest member of his team quickly succumbs to sleep, Gibbs almost falls from the weight. A slim set of arms steadies him as he eases McGee to the floor. As he rises, he looks at Tony who is curled around his wife and son; Tim is against the sofa where Holly is resting. Exhaustion and grief is on all of their faces. Shock, denial, it will all come soon. For now, they sleep and he can start finding some answers.

***

A/N: whew that was an exhausting chapter to write…as always I welcome your reviews. Thanks go to alix33, vrukalakos, cheether, Cursed Flame and c-los. You guys keep me inspired to keep writing.


	19. Chapter 17 Tim Chapter 8

Knights of the NCIS Table—Tim's story Chapter 8

Tim wakes up, not sure why he's sleeping on the floor until he remembers. Boss had called Tony and told him to keep Tim at Tony's house until Gibbs arrived. By the time Gibbs had gotten there, neither man knew what was going on, but the arrival of the two blondes with Gibbs soon heralded a terrible blow. Tim and Sarah's parents had been killed, along with the parents of Holly Breaker.

Holly's boss had been the bearer of the sad news. Tim knows that he had been in a state of shock and was certain that the others hadn't been much better. He glances around and sees Tony curled protectively around Sarah and Donny. A small smile graces his face, at least his parents had known of the newest DiNozzo. Sarah had found out a few weeks before and their parents couldn't have been more pleased.

As for Holly herself, Tim sits up and sees the blonde sleeping on the couch next to him. Tears are still running down her cheeks even as she sleeps. Not able to sit around and do nothing, Tim carefully pulls her down into his embrace. She snuggles close, and he wipes the tears off with a gentle finger. He wraps the blanket back around them both and falls back asleep, Holly sleeping peacefully at his side.

Ziva, curled up in one of the easy chairs, watches the whole thing. She smiles at the tender way Tim has with Holly. Not for the first time she wishes she had feelings for this man. She loves him but he's the brother of her heart, not the mate to her soul. She hopes that the woman currently in Tim's arms will be good to him and for him. If not, she knows of more than one way to kill without leaving a trace.

Four more hours pass without incident. Tony finally wakes up and stretches. He sees his wife and son still sleeping and kisses them both on the cheek before getting up. Ziva is still propped up in her chair, and he nods to her. He motions getting a cup of coffee and Ziva is quick to follow.

"Thank you for watching over us last night."

"It was nothing Tony. What else are friends for if not to watch each others backs?"

"Still, I appreciate it. Where did Gibbs go?"

"He took the commander and left to talk to Abby." She perches herself on the counter and watches as he pulls out several containers of Pillsbury Cinnamon Rolls and throws them into a baking dish. Ten minutes later and they're both breathing in the scent of hot cinnamon rolls and freshly brewed coffee.

"Tim woke up about four hours ago. He went back to sleep after making sure that everyone was sleeping."

Tony frowns. "You said that the boss left after we were all knocked out. That's at least five hours ago now."

"Almost six and I'm sure that Gibbs knows what he's doing."

Tony nods and adds, "It's not like she's a red-head." They both smirk at Gibbs and his penchant for red-headed girlfriends.

Tony stands up and refills his coffee before heading back to the living room. He sits in the chair closest to his family and ponders what to do for the rest of the day. He looks over at Ziva who is curled up in the other chair with a blanket around her shoulders.

"Hey, you can take our bed for a few hours. Sarah won't mind."

"I think I would prefer to stay here."

"That's fine." He sighs still not sure what he should be doing. A car pulls into the driveway and there's Gibbs with Laurie striding up the sidewalk. Tony opens the door, motioning for quiet as the others are still sleeping.

They meet back in the kitchen. Laurie's eyebrows go up at the store bought cinnamon rolls, but she says nothing. Instead she pours Gibbs a cup of coffee and then grabs a glass for some milk. Before anyone can say a word Laurie looks up at Tony and says, "I've started making arrangements for Holly's parents. I was wondering if you'd like me to assist with the McGee's as well."

Tony looks to Gibbs for assistance. The older man gives a slight nod and Tony relaxes.

"That would be great. I'm sure Tim and Sarah will appreciate it too."

Gibbs grabs one of the cinnamon rolls and bites into it. He's still watching Laurie and Ziva wonders just what did happen in the six hours the other two have been gone. The anger is gone from Gibbs, but the watchfulness is still there.

In the living room, Holly can hear a heartbeat pounding steadily under her ear. Knowing that she'd been knocked out by Laurie, she wonders briefly where she is. She opens her eyes and sees the same sweater pattern that Tim had been wearing the night before. She runs her hand over his chest, unsure of how she'd gotten there.

"You were crying so I let you have a teddy bear to hold onto." Tim's soft voice makes her look up at him. He smiles crookedly and she knows that he's feeling the same grief that's coursing through her own veins.

She gives him a hug and a shy smile as she says, "Thanks, I like holding a teddy bear every now and then."

***

A/N: hmm, apparently no one wanted to see the McGee's die. Or maybe it was the Breaker's. Not one review…how sad…pouts. (Plot bunnies ears droop dramatically.)


	20. Chapter 18 Tim Chapter 9

Knights of the NCIS Table—Tim's story Chapter 9

_She gives him a hug and a shy smile as she says, "Thanks, I like holding a teddy bear every now and then."_

A little voice pipes up from behind Tim's back, "I have a teddy bear. He's blue. I can share him if you want."

Donny peeks over Tim's shoulder and Holly smiles at the little boy. Tim gives a mock growl, pulls Donny over his shoulder and says, "I didn't say I wanted to share the teddy bear with you."

Donny shrieks with laughter as he dangles in Tim's firm yet gentle grasp. They've obviously done this on more than one occasion. Holly watches as Tim lowers Donny to his chest. The little boy reaches out and cups Tim's face, and then blows a raspberry against Tim's neck. Tim howls in mock rage and lifts Donny into the air once again.

"They'll do that for hours if I let them." Sarah's sitting up, smiling at her brother and son. Holly stands up and extends a hand to the younger woman. Sarah thanks her and they head into the kitchen. Holly looks at her boss in wonder.

"Laurie are you feeling all right? You actually let someone else cook?"

Laurie swats her playfully, "Had no choice, Tony here had breakfast ready when Jethro and I got back."

Tony, Sarah and Ziva all look at Gibbs in wonder. When had the two of them gotten on a first name basis? Holly giggles at the looks on their faces. Her boss wasn't one for calling someone by their last name, regardless of the years she'd spent in the military.

Laurie motions Holly over to her side and tells her of the arrangements she's been making on Holly's behalf. Laurie looks up as Tim and Donny enter the kitchen. She waits for Tim to sit down before asking him and Sarah. "I asked Tony and he thought you wouldn't mind if I made arrangements for your parents too?"

The siblings look at each other. They both know how devastated the other is feeling. Tim nods his thanks to Tony and tells Laurie that he's okay with her taking over the funeral arrangements. Sarah looks between her brother and her husband. While Tony hadn't been as close to her parents as she and Tim, he'd bonded with her dad over football and had endeared himself to their mother. She knows that he has to be just as overwhelmed as she and Tim are.

Gibbs says nothing as he watches the others. The grief is still there, but the initial shock is gone. Donny comes over and tugs on his pant leg. He bends down and picks up his grandson.

Donny pecks him on the cheek, and then nestles close. Gibbs knows that the little boy in his arms is thinking even if he doesn't know what he's thinking about.

"Granpa Jefro? Are you sad too? About Granma Maggie and Granpa John?" bright blue eyes stare into equally blue eyes. Gibbs blinks once, twice then clears his throat.

"I—I uh, I am a little sad. I really liked your other grandparents."

Sarah comes over to take her son, but Donny's latched onto the only other Granpa in his life. Tony's dad knows about Donny, but hasn't bothered to make his presence known. Gibbs has been there since day one. Donny buries his head in Gibbs neck, reminding the man of days long ago.

Laurie and Holly can see the range of emotions that cross all the other adults faces. Laurie starts to say something when Holly surprises her.

"Hey Donny, can you tell me a story about your Grandma Maggie?"

Story is the magic word. The blonde head pops up and the little boy nods. He motions for Gibbs to put him down. As soon as he does, Donny walks over to Holly. She picks him up and sits him on her lap.

"Granma Maggie used to—." As his story unfolds, Gibbs exits the room. Laurie follows close behind him, concerned by the emotion she sees in his eyes. Holly looks up at the other adults still in the kitchen. They all know what's going on, and are wondering how the current events would affect the man who plays such a vital part in their lives. Tim mouths the word, "later" and she nods as she listens to the rest of Donny's story.

The little boy falls asleep mid sentence, and Tony gently takes his son and lays him down in the living room. Sarah is close behind, and lays down beside her son. Tony starts to leave when Sarah asks him to hold her. He nods and lays down, holding her close. Within minutes, Tony is sound asleep too.

In the kitchen, Holly listens in near horror as she realizes that the deaths of not only her parents, but the McGee's must have brought the memory of Gibbs wife and daughter dying followed by his own personal vendetta, to the surface.

"Oh my God, Tim, how does he manage?"

Tim smiles wanly, thinking about the ever present boat in the cellar, the bottles of bourbon, the dedication to NCIS.

"The same way we will have to now, one day at a time. He never talks about it, but we all know, and try to understand when certain days roll around." Birthdays, holidays, the anniversary of their deaths, those are the days that the bullpen is either exceptionally loud or extraordinarily quiet.

Tim gives himself a shake, and starts cleaning up the dishes. Holly joins him at the sink, telling him that she'll wash since he knows where everything goes.

"How did your boss know where the glasses were?" Tony had told him about Laurie pouring Gibbs coffee before grabbing a glass for milk.

Holly smiles fondly. "That's part of Laurie's gift. She can walk into a kitchen and know immediately where everything is."

"Do you think that she was the one who avenged our parents?" Tim had noticed how quickly Laurie had followed Gibbs out of the room.

Holly shrugs, "It wouldn't surprise me, and it would be another reason for her tiredness yesterday."

Tim looks at her questioningly and Holly realizes that aside from being told Laurie is her boss, Tim knows nothing about her background. She quickly tells him that Laurie isn't just the owner/operator of _the Knotted C restaurant_s.

"Laurie is the one who operated on me when I'd gotten shot. It's due to her skill as a doctor, that I'm alive today."

Tim nods as he takes in the information. Holly can tell that this man absorbs information like a sponge sucks up water. She remembers listening to his dissertation the one time they'd met. He'd spoken slowly, yet clearly making sure that the listener understood what he was discussing.

"I liked your seminar a few years ago. You made it interesting, the way you explained things."

Tim blushes slightly at the praise. Then he realizes that she had actually been on campus when he had. She smiles and tells him about being part of the security detail.

"You were the one that got shot later that night. Protecting the governor as he was heading to the airport." At her confirmation nod he checks her right hand, the one that had received the wound.

"I decided not to stay in law enforcement. I've seen the pain Laurie goes through with her wound. When we were talking after the surgery, she offered me a chance to become a cook in her restaurant. I was leery at first, but then I realized how satisfying it is to make a meal."

"You found a new passion." He knows that feeling; it's the one he gets whenever a new novel comes to life in his mind.

Holly nods slowly. It's been a long time since she's been able to talk this freely about her cooking. She realizes that she likes being able to share the love she has for cooking with Tim, even if they're only talking about it. She looks up and sees him staring down at her, green eyes full of questions and still hiding a hint of grief.

"Maybe, one day when we're past all this, we can get together and I'll cook supper for you?" The hope in her eyes fills him with a similar hope. A feeling he'd given up as being lost. He nods slowly and leans in to kiss her when there's a cough from the table.

***

A/N: awww and just when it was getting good too…lol. (Plot bunnies grin wickedly) And for those who want Tim and Donny to continue their story don't worry. It's written; just need the right place to insert it. Does anyone really know what the names of McGee's parents are? Remember, reviews are better than chocolate, well a close second anyway.


	21. Chapter 19 Tim Chapter 10

Knights of the NCIS Table—Tim's story Chapter 10

As per usual I do not own anything pertaining to NCIS, but the characters Holly Breaker, Laurie Fields and Donny DiNozzo are mine.

_He nods slowly and leans in to kiss her when there's a cough from the table. _

They both look over at Ziva, who's smiling slightly behind her cup of tea. Holly takes advantage of Tim's slight distraction to kiss the edge of his mouth before moving away. Tim turns to her, but she's drifted towards the backdoor. He comes up behind her and sees his boss chatting idly with hers.

Holly casually places an arm around Tim's waist as they watch their bosses talk. For his part, Tim is a little shocked by her movement, yet pleased at the same time. He wonders briefly if they might be moving too fast, then decides to let things ride.

Ziva watches the couple and smiles as Holly puts her arm around Tim. When Tim cautiously places his arm around Holly, she can feel tears in her eyes. It's been hard for the man to trust any woman aside from her and his family. He'd trusted Abby more than once with his heart and the Goth had broken it so many times that it was a wonder any pieces still remained.

"Aunt Ziva? Can I have some milk please?"

Ziva looks down at Ducky Mallard's namesake and smiles. The little boy has done much to repair the wounds to Tim's heart. She knows that he's there almost every weekend, sharing his stories with Donny while Tony and Sarah go shopping, even when they don't.

Returning her thoughts to the little boy in front of her she nods and rises from her chair and pulls down his drinking cup. She steps over to the fridge and pulls out the milk. He giggles as the cup changes color when the milk is added. As she hands it to him she notices the careful way that he picks it up, imitating not his dad, but his uncle.

Donny carries his cup to the table and sets it down. He climbs into his booster chair and allows Ziva to push him further in. While Ziva puts the milk away, he takes a sip of milk then looks towards his uncle.

"Is Uncle Tim still sad like Mommy and Daddy?"

"I think so, why do you ask?"

"I dunno, I don't like it when everyone is sad."

Ziva leans down and gives him a hug which he returns. "I loves you Aunt Ziva."

"I love you too, Donny, very much."

A movement at the backdoor brings their attention to Holly and Tim. Tim is holding Holly close, and Ziva knows that the two had heard the discussion between her and Donny. Holly brushes away a few tears and mutters something to Tim who quietly replies. A few minutes later, Holly is walking towards the downstairs bathroom, while Tim watches her go.

"Tim, is she going to be alright?" Ziva's question brings the man's gaze down to her.

"Yeah, it's just…yeah." Tears are shining in his eyes too, but he's trying hard to keep them under control so that he won't upset Donny.

Ziva excuses herself from the table. Donny looks up at his uncle, fear in his blue eyes.  
"Uncle Tim? Did I do bad?"

Tim immediately sits on a chair, pulling the child into his arms. "No, Donny, no you did nothing wrong."

"Why did Holly and Ziva leave?"

"Holly just needs some time to cry, she had forgotten that her parents were going with Granma Maggie. Ziva went to keep Holly company."

"Uncle Tim, I'm gonna miss Granma and Granpa." The little boy cries softly in Tim's arms. Tim just holds him close as his own tears course slowly down his cheeks.

Down the hall, Ziva knocks softly on the bathroom door. "Holly, are you all right?"

There's no sound from the other side of the door. Ziva tries the knob and it opens easily. Holly's sitting in a corner, between the sink and the tub, arms wrapped around her knees.

"Holly?" Ziva carefully reaches down to the other woman, not wanting to startle her. A pair of tear-drenched blue eyes looks up at Ziva, not really seeing the former Mossad agent. Ziva crouches down in front of Holly, gently touching her shoulder. She knows what it's like to be so filled with grief that it consumes you. A puzzled look finally appears in Holly's eyes and Ziva knows that the other woman is ready to face at least this portion of the world.

"I'm sorry; I never did catch your name."

"Do not be sorry, we were never introduced. My name is Ziva David. I am Tim and Tony's partner at NCIS."

She holds out her hand and Holly shakes it. "I'm Holly Breaker. I'm hoping to be opening a restaurant in Georgetown soon." She takes a shaky breath and then realizes that Tim must be worried about her if he'd sent Ziva after her.

"I look forward to eating at your restaurant. Are you ready to come join me, Donny and Tim in the kitchen again?"

Holly nods and asks Ziva if she knows where a washcloth is. Ziva opens a door and hands it to her then leaves the room. Holly takes the cloth and runs it under cool water before wiping her face with it. She knows that her eyes are red, but figures that as the day wears on they'll probably get redder. Ziva is waiting when she emerges from the room and the two women walk down the hallway together.

Tim is still holding Donny and they're both crying. Ziva and Holly look at each other then at Tim. Holly comes over and places a hand on Donny's back.

"Hey, are you okay Donny?

"I'm sad cause Granma and Granpa are going away without us." He sniffles and rubs his eyes before looking up at Holly. He holds his arms out to her and she gently takes him out of Tim's arms. Tim quickly brushes his tears away so that Donny doesn't see him crying. He clears his throat; Donny and Holly look down at him and he catches his breath.

The two blonde heads with blue eyes reminds him of a dream he'd had prior to joining NCIS all those years ago. In that dream, he'd had a wife and child; both of them were blonde with blue eyes. When he'd met Abby he'd thought that maybe he'd have a shot of the dream coming true, but over the years he'd lost sight of that dream. Abby's continued rejections coupled with the few females he'd let get close to him had almost killed any hope of the dream coming true.

Ziva gives him a concerned look before Gibbs-slapping him lightly on the back of the head. He focuses on the two people in front of him, taking in Donny's wobbling mouth and tear soaked eyes. Concern for his nephew overrides his grief as he stands up. He caresses Donny's cheek and places a kiss on Holly's temple.

Going over to the sink he runs his hands under cool water and wipes the remaining tears away. He dries his hands and comes back to where Holly is still standing with Donny. He places a hand on the back of Donny's head before asking, "Would you like Uncle Tim to continue our story?"

Small hands rub at small eyes and Donny nods as he asks, "Can Aunt Holly and Aunt Ziva listen too?"

"Sure if they want to. Let me tell Grandpa Jethro where we are so that he doesn't worry okay?"

"'kay."

Tim nods at the two women, who proceed into the living room without him. Ziva perches on the couch near Tony and Sarah. Tony wakes up but decides to stay where he's at. For the moment he's comfortable and he can listen to Tim's story without leaving the room.

"What kind of story are we listening to?" Holly has no idea what she's being let in for.

Donny smiles and says, "We have knights and dragons and wizards."

"Oh my." Tony smirks at the unintentional Wizard of OZ quote that Holly utters. Tim walks in a minute later and sits in his normal chair. Holly is still holding Donny and she brings him over so that he can sit in Tim's lap. The little boy shakes his head and insists that Holly sit in Tim's lap too.

***

Speaking of Jethro, both of them are still outside, one curled up in the corner of the porch while the other drinks out of his ever present coffee cup. When Tim had come out to tell him that the others would be in the living room, he'd brought Gibbs a fresh cup of the beverage. He apologized to Laurie for not bringing her anything, but she waved his apology away knowing that his grief had clouded his memory.

Gibbs looks at Laurie after Tim has gone back inside and tells her that she'll be missing out on a good story. "He puts his heart and soul into his storytelling. It's the same way if they're on a case. I never have to worry about this team, they give it their all."

"You still worry, it's second nature to us. So, shall we go listen to a story while I prepare lunch?"

"You really do know how to cook?" he follows her back inside and she smiles at the question.

***

A/N: Not too much more to go folks, two or three chapters left, maybe four tops. I want to thank all of you who have read the stories and marked them as favorites, made me your favorite author it is an honor.


	22. Chapter 20 Tim Chapter 11

Knights of the NCIS Table—Tim's story Chapter 11

_Tim walks in a minute later and sits in his normal chair. Holly is still holding Donny and she brings him over so that he can sit in Tim's lap. The little boy shakes his head and insists that Holly sit in Tim's lap too. _

Holly looks down at Tim who smiles at her and motions for her to sit down. She does and once they're both comfortable, Donny clambers up and snuggles between them. Tim sighs and looks around the room. Ziva, Tony and Sarah are all awake now and waiting patiently for him to start the story.

Tim clears his throat and looking at Donny says, "We need to let Holly know what this story is about can you help me with that?"

The little boy nods, "I already told her we have knights, and dragons and wizards."

Tim hides a smile and says, "True but Holly hasn't met Thym or Anton or King Jed or Jamie."

Holly sounds out the names in her head. "Who is Time?"

Tim chuckles, "Thym is spelled like the herb thyme without the e on the end and he is our resident dragon. We have two knights known as Sir Anton and Sir Ziva, the Lady Abby and Lady Sarah, King Jed and wizard Jamie."

"Yeah, and Thym just met a – a- what did you call her Uncle Tim?"

"We haven't formally introduced her yet, but she'll be a pseudo-dragon."

"Yeah with a two foot long tail and a stinger and she talks with her mind."

"Thym had ranged ahead of his human companions while they were out hunting, as he'd seen something in a tree. Long story shortened, Thym is climbing down from the tree with the pseudo-dragon perched on his shoulder. She's balancing herself by wrapping her tail around his arm. And the others have just ridden up to where they are."

***

"Hey Thym, buddy, can you try not to run so fast next time? I don't think Strider here could keep up a second time." Anton dismounts and walks over to his blue scaled friend.

"My apologies, Sir Anton, I was only trying to protect you."

"Did you find anything?" He still hasn't seen the dragon draped around Thym's arm.

"I'll wait until the others arrive to show you my findings."

"Cool then you did find something."

***

"Wow, Probie, using a Lord of the Rings character as a horse. I'm impressed." Tony's comment is met with a glare from his son.

"Hush Daddy!"

***

"You could say that I found something, yes." Thym chuckles as he imagines the others surprise when the little dragon reveals itself. The little dragon chuckles too, a soft sound that's swallowed by the light breeze.

_**You could suggest that we go meet the others if it will take us home sooner.**_

Thym can feel his scales warming at the thought of bringing this little one home. He opens his mouth to suggest leaving when King Jed and Jamie arrive. King Jed looks at Thym. He can tell there is a difference about him, just isn't certain what the difference is. As for Jamie, "You found a dragon. May I touch it?"

Anton and King Jed look on in puzzlement until Thym extends his arm and Jamie lightly touches the new dragon's head. A sigh of contentment comes out of the little one's mouth. A small puff of smoke shaped like a heart issues out of the dragon's nostrils.

"She's cute, Thym what's her name?"

***

"Can I name her Uncle Tim?" The earnestness in the blue eyes isn't something that Tim can say no to.

"Sure, what are we going to call her?" A little head leans up and whispers in his ear. Tim nods in agreement.

***

_**My name is Crystal.**_

Three humans sit on the ground…hard. They'd heard the little dragon talking to them, in their heads.

_**You didn't tell them that this is how we communicate?**_

_**Oops, I knew I'd forgotten something. **_

The little dragon sighs and unwinds herself from Thym's arm. She flutters over to the three men who are still a little stunned from her greeting. She finally lands on Anton's shoulder and purrs in his ear.

"That tickles, stop that." He lightly brushes her away and she tumbles to King Jed's lap.

King Jed finds himself staring at her and finally asks, "What kind of dragon are you? I've hunted every dragon known to man and I've never seen one as small as you."

_**I'm a pseudo-dragon. We were created eons ago by mages who wanted familiars with the powers of the dragon. Unfortunately, we don't get any bigger and can't produce the whole fire, lightening, freeze cone thing. The smokey heart you saw is the extent of my fire breathing abilities.**_

***

"What's a familiar?"

"A familiar is like a companion who helped witches and warlocks, wizards and mages to defeat their enemy. Sometimes the familiar was just a companion, to keep the wizard company on a long journey. At other times, the familiar was a guardian, so that the wizard could sleep while he was in hostile territory."

"Wow."

Donny thinks about his uncle's definition of the word familiar then asks. "Am I your familiar, Uncle Tim?"

Tim smiles as he thinks about the little boy who sits so trustingly in his arms. He starts to deny it, and then says, "I think I'm your familiar instead. After all, I'm always here just when you need a story. What do you think?"

"You're daddy's familiar. I've heard him tell mommy that you're his bestest friend in the whole wide world. You two have known each other since forever."

Tim smiles at the youthful explanation of his relationship with Tony. Ziva, Tony and Sarah exchange grins at Donny's statement. Holly stays silent, content for now just to listen to Tim's story. It's evident that the characters are all based on the people in this room along with the missing James, and Abby. She's guessing correctly that King Jed is Leroy Jethro Gibbs.

***

Crystal flies over to Jamie and asks him why he was able to see her when the others couldn't. Jamie blushes as he admits that he really doesn't know how to explain it.

"I could just barely see your outline, compared to the one I had seen when Tim was with us earlier today."

_**You're very observant, especially for a wizard. King Jed, you must be pleased with this young man.**_

"I'm learning to appreciate him and his talents. He certainly helped with Thym when he first came to us."

Thym smiles as Crystal comes back to perch on his shoulder. He rubs her head and she starts purring again. To the three humans, the pseudo-dragon's purr is like the happy purr of a contented cat; to Thym it's a reminder of time gone by and maybe of times yet to come. He looks at his human companions, all of whom are smiling.

"Looks like Thym has a new friend." Anton says to no one in particular.

"Ya think, Anton?" The slight sarcasm in King Jed's voice goes unnoticed by the knight as they ride back to the castle. The excitement of finding Crystal has made them forget that they'd been out hunting for the wedding meal.

***

"What wedding?" Holly's a little confused. Tim smiles at her, understanding instantly why she's confused.

"Anton and the Lady Sarah are getting married. The knight along with Jed and Jamie had gone to find Thym and see if the dragon wanted to help them hunt some game for the celebratory dinner."

"I'll ask later why a dragon and a knight are friends."

"I'll explain when you're ready to hear that story."

***

Arriving back at the castle Ziva, Abby and Sarah greet the men with smiles which turn into frowns. Ziva looks at the empty bags and sighs. How is she supposed to prepare a feast if there is no meat?

Thym reads her mind in an instant and quickly leaves again, taking the time to transform to his normal blue dragon state. Crystal stays close to King Jed, trusting this human to protect her should she need it.

Within minutes Thym is back with several deer, a cow and some birds for the feast. Ziva bows her head at Thym's contribution, and sets to work. Thym changes to human form once again and asks Ziva if she needs help with the cooking.

"I can provide a fire pit similar to the one we had when Anton set that competition for Abby's hand."

***

"King Jed won Abby's hand, while Sarah ended up with Anton and Ziva became friends with Jamie." Donny's matter of fact explanation tells Holly that this story has been a work in progress for a while now.

***

Out in the kitchen Gibbs watches as Laurie finishes chopping chicken breasts into pieces before sliding them into a skillet and seasoning them. They've been listening to the story via the baby monitor that is set up throughout the house.

"You're right, he is a good storyteller. He should put it on paper and print it."

"We're working on convincing him to do so. He had an incident a few years ago that's made him leery of writing again."

"What's his nom de plume?"

"Thom E. Gemcity."

"Ahh, I remember when that came out. Quite good, based off of your team I take it?"

"Loosely, but yes it was."

"I liked the L.J. Tibbs character. You look like him you know." She gives him a cheeky grin as she says it and proceeds to turn the chicken. He steps up behind her and looks at the items on the stove.

Aside from the chicken pieces, there is a pot of steaming water waiting for pasta, another sauce pan is filled with a white sauce and the final pot is a steamer filled with vegetables.

She's taken a loaf of bread and after slicing it, loaded it with garlic butter and placed it on a cookie sheet. The oven is turned on and warming up so that she can toast the bread.

"Smells good, what is it?"

"Chicken Alfredo with garlic bread, a salad and some vegetables for those who want them."

"Where's the salad?"

"You're making it when you get back in here."

He gives her one of his famous Gibbs stares. The one that asks where she thinks he's going. She points to the living room and asks him to find out who wants cheese on their bread and what they prefer to drink. Gibbs chuckles softly as he finds himself walking to the other room.

***

A/N: please read and review…thanks.


	23. Chapter 21 Tim Chapter 12

Knights of the NCIS Table—Tim's story Chapter 12

_She points to the living room and asks him to find out who wants cheese on their bread and what they prefer to drink. Gibbs chuckles softly as he finds himself walking to the other room. _

Dinner passes with little incident. Conversation stays light as they all try to avoid the tragedy that has fallen on the house. Donny surprises his parents by asking for more noodles. Ziva asks Laurie if she will consider trading recipes. Tony, Gibbs and McGee don't say much as they eat the meal. Tony and Gibbs are mentally preparing for the next few days, the funerals having been set for Monday for the McGee's and Tuesday for Holly's parents.

Laurie had gotten the phone calls confirming the funeral arrangements while she and Gibbs had been talking on the porch. Laurie and Gibbs had decided that they'd tell Tony but wait until after dinner to tell the others involved. They want at least one good meal to get inside the three adults as they both know that none of them will have much appetite in the days to come.

Tim knows that the arrangements are made. He can tell by Tony's movements and lack of movie quotes during dinner. The fact that the older man is quiet is another factor. Tim says nothing though. He knows that he needs to eat and the meal is almost restaurant quality.

Holly and Sarah keep their focus not only on their meal but on Donny. The child has formed an attachment to Holly in the few hours that she's been in their house. He's already asking her if she can come and visit the next time that Uncle Tim tells a story.

"I-I'll see Donny, I still have a restaurant to get up and running. If I can, how about I call your Uncle Tim and we can come over together?" She looks up at Tim to see if he approves and he nods slowly a faint blush crossing his cheeks.

"Of course that means that I'll need Uncle Tim's phone number."

She smiles shyly as she says it and Tim's blush goes a little redder. He mumbles something and excuses himself briefly. Gibbs waits for ten seconds then goes after him. Holly looks at Laurie. The older woman shakes her head indicating that she'll tell her more at a later time.

Sarah watches her brother leave, knowing the past and what it's done to him. Silently she prays that her brother will be able to overcome his insecurities and trust the woman who is starting to feel like a sister to her. Tony had started after Tim but was called off by a shake of Gibbs head. Knowing that Gibbs is like a second father to most of them, Tony sits back in his seat and enjoys the rest of the meal.

Gibbs follows Tim down the hall to the spare bedroom. The younger man is sitting on the bed, making no effort to control the tears rolling down his face. Gibbs says nothing as he takes the young man into his arms, feeling the sobs racking Tim's frame. A few minutes pass, then Tim pulls away and wipes his eyes.

"It was the last thing we talked about. My trying to find someone new to love. Dad said to give myself a chance, to trust my gut. He also said that if I didn't trust my gut to trust yours." He gives a small laugh and Gibbs smiles.

"I'm scared Boss, I'm afraid to trust again." He gives a small grunt as Gibbs lightly smacks him on the back of the head.

"That young lady out there asked you for your number Tim. Give it to her, and give yourself a chance. You're both in for a rocky road. You're going to need each other in order to get through it all."

Tim nods and stands up, extending a hand to his boss. Gibbs grips it as he stands and escorts Tim back to the kitchen. The others are still at the table and Donny looks around.

"Miss Laurie, did you make dessert?"

Sarah gasps at her son's audacity, while the others laugh discreetly behind their hands or napkins. Laurie shakes her head at Sarah, telling her silently that she's not offended by the question.

"Dessert? Are you saying that you're still hungry? That you didn't get enough noodles or chicken?" She stands up as she says it, pretending to pounce on the youngster. Donny stares up at her and nods.

Gibbs chuckles and walks over to the fridge. He pulls two cartons of ice cream out of the freezer. Laurie picks Donny up and whispers in his ear before setting him down on the floor. The little boy nods enthusiastically as she picks up a pair of oven mitts and opens the door. Donny grabs spoons out of the drawer and hands one to each of the others while Laurie places the warm cherry cobbler on the table.

Half an hour later, the cobbler is almost gone, the remaining ice cream is back in the freezer and the adults all admit to being too stuffed to move. Donny pats his tummy and sighs in satisfaction before giving a slight burp.

"Excuse me."

"That was definitely on the good food, not bad manners side of things. Thanks for the meal, Laurie." Tony raises his glass to his guest and the others all do the same. Laurie inclines her head as she accepts their praise.

"By the way, that meal is on the menu of all my _Knotted C_ restaurants. Just to get a little plug in there." She smiles as she says it. Holly nods her head in agreement.

Another hour passes. By this time the dishes have been put in the dishwasher and Gibbs looks at the two women and knows that it's time for them to leave. The McGee/DiNozzo family needs time to grieve in private, and so does Holly.

Tim stands up just before they leave and hands Holly a business card. He smiles shakily as he tells her that his home phone number is on the back. Holly leans up and kisses his cheek, telling him that Sarah has her card with her phone numbers on it.

"Aunt Holly? Can you come and stay with me sometime? Even if Uncle Tim can't come you could visit me?"

Holly kneels down to where Donny is leaning against his dad. She looks up at Sarah who nods her approval. "I would love to visit you sometime. How about you have your mom call me and I'll come visit if I'm not busy."

Gibbs escorts the two women to his car and drives them back to Holly's apartment. Holly gets out of the car first and heads upstairs. Gibbs puts a restraining hand on Laurie's arm. She looks at him quizzically and he hands her his business card.

"If you need anything let me know."

"I will and thank you Jethro for your help these last few days." She exits the car before he can say anything else. He waits for her to get upstairs before putting the car in gear and heading home.

****

A/N: I know that I have Donny repeating himself in wanting Holly to visit but we have to remember he's only four...lol


	24. Chapter 22 Tim Chapter 13

Knights of the NCIS Table—Tim's story Chapter 13

A/N: time for the sad part…

***

Monday dawns and Leroy Jethro Gibbs rolls out of bed with a slight groan. The weekend has been rough, especially finding out about Tim McGee's parents. He hadn't known them very well, but had liked them the few times they'd met. Today is their funeral and he's planning on the entire team to be there to support Tim and his sister Sarah.

After a quick hot shower, he dresses in a suit and drives over to Abby's. The Goth meets him at the door and quickly enters the car. He heads over to Ziva's next. The former Mossad agent is waiting when he pulls up and is opening the back door as soon as the car stops. His final stop is Tim McGee's apartment. The women stay in the car when he gets out.

He strides up the stairs and knocks on Tim's door. The younger man opens the door for his boss, not looking at him as he does so. Gibbs knows that today is going to be exceptionally hard on the young man as he'd been close to his parents, calling home at least once a week to check up on them.

"McGee, do you want another minute or two?"

"No boss, I'll be okay." He sighs and straightens his shoulders. Gibbs looks around for his namesake and raises an eyebrow when the dog doesn't appear.

"I put him in the kennel for the day. It's going to be traumatic enough for us humans, Jethro doesn't need to pick up on all the emotions." Typical Tim, thinking of others, even his dog in a time of crisis.

"Let's go then. I've got the girls in the car." Tim nods and follows him out to the car.

For a man used to being on the go, the day passes slowly for Gibbs. He gets the family settled at the funeral site and waits for the chaplain. Once the chaplain gets there he knows that the next half hour will go one of two ways: exceptionally slow or terribly fast. As the pallbearers arrive, Gibbs watches as they unfold the flag and stretch it taut over the casket. The officer in charge inspects it then steps back so the chaplain can perform his service.

The chaplain manages to keep his service short; a mere nine and a half minutes after he starts, he steps back. Immediately there is the 21-gun salute and the forlorn sounds of Taps. While Taps is playing the flag is folded and handed to the officer in charge who then hands it to the chaplain.

The chaplain steps over to McGee and hands him the folded flag. As he does so he utters, **_"On behalf of the President of the United States, a grateful nation, and a proud Navy, this flag is presented as a token of our appreciation for the honorable and faithful service rendered by your loved one to his country and Navy"_**.

The chaplain moves to the side and the Arlington Lady steps forward to offer her condolences. As she moves closer Gibbs hears her say, _**"**__**On behalf of the Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) and the Commandant of the Naval District of Washington and all the Arlington Ladies, I am here today to express our sincerest sympathy."**_

The lady moves to the side and the chaplain offers his condolences one last time. Gibbs waits for the mourners to say their condolences to Tim and Sarah keeping an eye on them the entire time. Donny is quiet as he sits in Ziva's lap, his favorite toy being held in a tight grip.

A familiar figure comes into his view. Laurie Fields is the last of the mourners. She's dressed in her Navy Whites and has enclosed Sarah in a hug. Ziva and Abby come to stand by the family, Ziva still carrying Donny.

Donny brightens slightly when he sees Laurie. He reaches out to her and she takes him into her arms.

"You doing okay there, Mister Donny?"

"I'm sad, Miss Laurie, I miss my Granma and Granpa. Where's Aunt Holly, did she come?"

"Not today, she wasn't feeling too good." She sees no need to remind him of the other funeral tomorrow; the one for Holly's parents. Laurie nods to Ziva and Abby after she shakes hands with Jimmy, Tony and Tim. As she turns to Gibbs, Donny still in her arms; Gibbs notices something he hasn't seen before.

"Commander, I'd like a word with you." The tone of his voice makes those familiar with him wince. Laurie calmly hands Donny back to Ziva and follows Gibbs. Five minutes later and Gibbs is back. Laurie is nowhere in sight. The small group divides into their cars again. There is no wake as the McGee's had requested it that way. The band of friends meets up at Tony and Sarah's.

Tim enters the living room and heads for the fireplace. He'd promised his dad that he'd read a letter that the elder McGee had kept in a safety deposit box. His dad had specified that he read it in the presence of Sarah, Tony and anyone that he trusted as a friend. As he stares into the fireplace, Tim finds himself wishing that he had a female friend he could lean on during this time.

There's a knocking at the door and Gibbs opens it. Laurie is standing there and beside her is Holly Breaker.

"Aunt Holly! You're here! Are you feeling better?" Donny's greeting brings smiles to his parent's faces. They still don't know why he's grown this attached to Holly in such a short time, but accept it as a fact. Holly smiles at him, and he launches himself into her arms.

Laurie steadies her friend so that she doesn't fall off the small step that leads into the house. Gibbs says nothing as the two women walk inside. He knows that he's heading for a confrontation with Laurie, but he won't do it now or even tomorrow. They have other people to worry about these next two days.

When Tim sees Holly enter the living room he feels like a load is lifted from his chest. She smiles shyly at him and sits down on the closest sofa with Donny still in her arms. Laurie Fields is still dressed in her uniform and Tim wonders why she has it on, but passes the thought off for the moment. He waits for the rest of his family to enter the room before opening the envelope.

***

Gibbs leans against the door frame, watching his team as they lean on each other for support. Ziva, Jimmy and Abby are all grouped around Tony and Sarah. Holly is holding Donny and they're all waiting for Tim to read the letter in his hands. As for Laurie, she's standing beside Gibbs waiting for his next comment.

"Thank you for bringing Holly over, he needed her here." The soft whisper isn't quite the words she'd been expecting, but she nods as she continues to watch over the group in the living room.

"We will talk Commander but not now, not today and not tomorrow. You will meet me in my office at NCIS no later than 07:30 on Thursday. Are we clear?"

"Crystal." She hasn't taken her eyes off the young man by the fireplace. The letter in his hands is shaking with the effort it's taking him not to fall apart.

***

"Before I read this, you all need to know that I really appreciate all of you being here for me, Sarah, Tony and Donny. It means a lot to all of us. Knowing my dad, I'm not sure what exactly I'm going to find in here. It could be anything from a quote to a joke."

It was neither. Instead it was a warm letter of goodbye from a father to his son and daughter.

_Timothy and Sarah, _

_If you are reading these words then it has finally happened. Your mother and I have died and you two are still alive. You cannot know how thankful we are that we had not just a son and a daughter, but we gained a new son and grandson in Tony and Donny. _

_To all of Tim and Sarah's friends, Ziva, Abby, Jimmy and Gibbs, thank you. You have made this old couple happy knowing that our children, including Tony, are surrounded by love and laughter, and even discipline when needed. _

_You all became more than friends though. You are a family, a tightly knit team, who guard each other's backs through thick and thin. We've seen this, and are proud to call you sons, daughters, brothers. We can go to our Father peacefully knowing that none of our children are completely alone. _

_God Bless You All, _

_Jonathon Timothy McGee _

Tim lowers the letter, fresh tears in his eyes. Gibbs starts into the room but a tanned hand on his elbow stops him. She shakes her head then looks over at Holly. The younger blonde places Donny near Ziva and Abby before stepping over to pull Tim into a loose embrace. Laurie leans close and whispers, "I told her that you thought Tim might need her and she insisted on coming."

"I'm glad she came, for Tim's sake."

"I am too; she needed to come as much as he needed her." She watches for a few more moments before turning towards the door.

"Where are you going?"

"I have one more friend to say goodbye to. His funeral is in an hour." Her whispered explanation reveals the reason that she's still in uniform, i.e. her friend had been in the military.

She stares into nothing for a minute before giving herself a shake. She looks at Gibbs and asks him if he can give Holly a ride home if the other woman should want to leave before Laurie gets back. Gibbs nods and she's gone.

Gibbs turns back to the living room and everyone is talking quietly amongst themselves. He enters the room and strides over to Tim who is standing beside Holly, an arm around her waist. He gives Tim a quick hug then whispers in Holly's ear that he'll take her home if she needs a ride anytime soon.

Holly looks towards the empty doorway before turning her gaze on Gibbs. "I'll wait until she returns. Providing you still want me to stay?" She's looking up at Tim now, who nods slowly a smile gracing his face for the first time that day.

***

A/N: all the information regarding the funeral procession is on the Arlington National Cemetery website and the Arlington Ladies website.


	25. Chapter 23 Tim Chapter 14

Knights of the NCIS Table—Tim's story Chapter 14

A/N: this chapter will focus mainly on Holly and Laurie, with a little of the team thrown in later.

Tuesday morning dawns just as bright and beautiful as Monday had. The birds are chirping joyfully outside Holly's window as she opens her eyes to start her day. She looks around her small apartment, sees her friend rolled up in a sleeping bag on the floor.

Laurie and Holly had stayed up quite late the night before, discussing the day to come as well as other matters.

Holly knows that any movement she makes will wake her friend so she lies in bed for a few more minutes. An hour later, Holly is woken up by the smell of fresh coffee and baking bread. She looks at Laurie in surprise, "when did you make bread?"

Laurie grins at her, "You had a loaf in your freezer. I took it out last night and covered it with a wet towel and let it rise in the fridge. Figured this way you'd at least get something in your stomach."

Holly nods slowly, knowing that her friend/doctor is correct. With the funerals today for her parents, she doesn't think she'll want to eat much of anything, but she's never been able to turn down freshly baked bread.

Laurie grabs the oven mitts out of their drawer and pulls the bread out of the oven. The golden brown loaf smells divine and Holly's stomach grumbles in agreement. Laurie tips the bread out of the pan after dipping a pastry brush in butter and liberally coating the outer crust in butter.

Holly hands her a serrated bread knife and watches in anticipation as the heel of the bread is cut off.

"Would you like the first slice, Miss Holly?" Laurie doesn't give Holly time to say anything before she takes a bite out of the crust.

"Hey!"

"Any cook worth her salt tastes the goods before serving them." Laurie laughs at Holly's indignant expression. She then slices off the other end and pulls out the honey bear. She dribbles a light coating of honey on that slice before handing it to Holly. Holly's eyes close in wonder at the heavenly taste of the honey coated bread.

Laurie takes advantage of Holly eating to take a shower and change clothes. She's not in uniform this time. Today she's wearing a pair of black slacks, with a white blouse and a black jacket. She sighs as she braids her hair back. Mentally she's thanking God that she only had three funerals to attend this week and not more.

As she exits the bedroom, Holly comes in and starts running water for her own shower.

"Hey Laurie, can I ask you a question?"

"Always. What's up?"

"Is it too soon for me to be falling in love? I mean, it's not just because of the tragedy that I'm feeling this way is it?"

Laurie sits down on the bed as she ponders her answer. "No, I don't believe so. I think you started falling for Tim McGee a few years ago, but time and circumstances took you away before you could do anything. This time around you have a chance and you already have the approval of his nephew."

"We all know that children are like tribbles…there's no accounting for taste at that age."

"Maybe, depending on the child, but this isn't an ordinary child, Holly. Donny DiNozzo is the child of two highly intelligent individuals and remember who his uncle is. After all, Tim has at least one Masters Degree, not to mention graduating not only MIT but Johns Hopkins as well."

Holly looks at her boss/friend with a friendly glare, "Hey, Tim's my boyfriend. You go after that silver haired Marine."

"Yeah, right. He thinks I've been lying to him and that's not something he can forgive."

"Lying? You? As if! What were you lying to him about?"

"Nothing, and that's where the rub comes in. I told him nothing about my past and guess which part he found out yesterday?"

"Ohh that can take a bit of explaining."

"Mmm-hmmm. I've been called to the principal's office bright and early Thursday morning."

"Maybe you'll get a paddling out of it." Holly's cheeky grin is hidden by the shower door.

"Watch it, or I'll tell Tim where your ticklish spots are."

"Whatever."

Laurie laughs and heads back out to the kitchen to finish cleaning up their breakfast dishes. There's a knock at the door and she opens it to find Gibbs standing outside. Once again he's dressed in a nice suit and tie and she can't help admiring the way he looks.

"Gibbs, I wasn't expecting to see you for another day or two. I'd ask you in but Holly's in the shower."

"That's fine; I'm actually here to ask if you two need a ride to the church or cemetery?"

"Thank you, I'm sure Holly will appreciate it." Gibbs notices that she doesn't say they'll both appreciate the ride. He says nothing as he eyes her current state of dress.

"You're not wearing your uniform."

"No, Dennis and Kristina wanted a civilian ceremony and are being buried in a public cemetery."

Holly comes into the room, and sees that Laurie's almost guarding the door. She steps over to see who her guest is and hides a smile at the sight of the ex-Marine. She clears her throat just before asking, "Laurie, won't you invite our guest in?

Laurie opens the door wide enough for Gibbs to enter then closes it behind him. Gibbs glances around the small apartment, sees the rolled up sleeping bag, and guesses correctly who uses it.

Holly pulls a cup out of the kitchen cupboard and offers it to Gibbs, "Coffee?"

"Please, thank you." He takes a sip and sighs in satisfaction. "Good coffee. What time do you need to leave?"

"In a half hour or so, I think." She looks at Laurie for confirmation. The other woman nods her head before hiding behind a sketch pad. There's another knock at the door and Laurie sighs as she puts her pad away.

Opening the door Laurie finds one Timothy McGee. He's shuffling from one foot to another as if mentally asking himself what he's doing there.

"Hi Tim, are you here to see Holly?"

The man blushes and nods. Laurie opens the door and Tim walks in stopping when he sees his boss there.

"Hi, boss, I uh called Holly and she said that she needed a ride?"

Holly comes back out of her bedroom. Her black dress is accented by a single strand of pearls. She smiles at Tim when she sees him, and gives him a soft kiss on the cheek.

"Thank you for coming."

Laurie looks at her friend who gazes oh so innocently back at her. Laurie shakes her head in amusement. Her friend is trying to play matchmaker. Rather than make a big scene Laurie sighs as she looks over at Gibbs.

"You still available for a ride to the church?"

Gibbs smiles at the young couple in front of him and nods. They follow Tim and Holly out to Tim's car where a big German shepherd is waiting. Holly waits for Tim to open her door before she turns to Jethro and starts caressing the dog's ears. Tim walks over to Gibbs' car.

"We'll see you at the church then, boss?"

"Yeah McGee, don't be late."

"Boss, just because I don't drive like you and Ziva does not mean I'm going to be late." Tim chuckles as Gibbs tears out. He gets into his car and looks at Holly.

"They'll be there a good fifteen minutes before we will."

Holly waits until they're on the road before asking him, "Is Gibbs seeing anyone? Not for me, but for Laurie. I think they make a nice couple."

Tim smiles as he continues driving. "Abby dropped Jethro off this morning and was stewing because Gibbs is a little preoccupied lately. We think it's due to your boss."

Tim thinks back to the conversation he'd had earlier with Abby just as she was dropping off Jethro. He'd been woken by the sun shining brightly in his window. He stretched slightly before being greeted by the enthusiastic woof of his best animal pal, Jethro. The dog is being accompanied by Abby who had picked up the shepherd from the kennel after the group had dispersed the day before.

Abby knocks lightly on Tim's bedroom door before letting Jethro in to see his master. After tousling the dog's ears and giving him a good rub down, Tim slips out of bed and walks out to his living room.

Abby is sitting at his computer, staring blankly at the black screen. Tim places a hand on her shoulder. "Hey, what's up?"

"Do you think he likes her?" He notices for the first time that her hair is hanging straight and not in her usual pig-tails. She's not bouncing off the walls and her makeup is almost non-existent.

"Sorry, Abby, but I'm not really sure what you mean." He finishes putting on his suit and tie as he waits for her to respond.

"Gibbs, he's been so different lately. Oh I know that we're not compatible or anything like that, but still, ever since he met her he's been so…"

"Upset, or happy or somewhere in between." Tim still has no idea why she's there.

"In between, almost like silver mercury, unpredictable. More so than he usually is, it's like he's…"

"Got the hots and can't do anything about it?" Tim's slight sarcasm is met with an enthusiastic nod

"Exactly! He wants her and she's having nothing to do with him…oh I should go give her a piece of my mind. She can't play with my Gibbs emotions that way."

Tim says nothing as she stalks out the door. He looks at Jethro and sighs. The big dog pads over to him and lays his head in Tim's lap, looking up at him with soulful eyes.

"She does that every time he meets someone. Usually intimidates the other woman to back off or finds a way to make them leave. I don't think the commander will do that Jet. She's a good woman; I feel it in my gut."

The German shepherd closes his eyes as Tim keeps a steady hand running over his head. As the clock chimes Tim gives the dog one last pat before heading towards the door. Jethro cocks his head at his master. Tim shrugs and pulls out his cell phone.

"Hello, Holly, it's Tim McGee. I just wanted to say thank you for coming over yesterday. It meant a lot to me that you were there. I know it's short notice, but do you—would you—do you need a ride to the church?"

He looks at Jethro and the mutt just gives him a doggy grin and a wag of his tail. "You don't mind if my dog comes with us do you? He's very well behaved…I need to make it up to him for kenneling him yesterday."

He smiles and tugs on his coat. He flips the phone shut and smiles down at his dog. "Get your leash."

The dog dashes for the door that the leash is kept on and brings it over to Tim.

"Good dog." He snaps the leash on and Jethro leads the way out the door and to the car. Tim looks at his Porsche and wonders how he's going to get three adults plus the dog in there. He shakes his head as he gets in the seat. After fastening his seatbelt, (something he really didn't worry too much about until he started working with Gibbs, during which time it became a matter of life and death with the way not only Gibbs but Ziva drove) he turns the car on and eases into traffic.

He drives the two blocks to Holly's apartment and is somewhat surprised to see an agency car there. Thinking about his earlier conversation with Abby, he wonders if she's right about Gibbs, if the other man does have some sort of preoccupation with Holly's best friend.

Holly smiles when Tim stops talking. "For what it's worth, I think she's interested in him too. She's worried about making him understand why she couldn't tell him everything the day that you all met. The appointment with him on Thursday should help clear thing up a bit."

"She's a Navy SEAL isn't she? I saw the trident on her uniform yesterday. I just didn't place it until last night. Is that what made Gibbs mad at her?"

Holly sighs and shrugs her shoulders. "Possibly, but we really don't know. I mean, she's not been able to disclose much about her past. She still can't tell him everything, but maybe she can tell him enough that he can start trusting her.

Tim frowns as they pull into the church parking lot. He's worked with Gibbs for almost ten years now and knows that the older man doesn't trust easily. He sighs when he sees the older couple waiting for them. "Well, if nothing else maybe we can get both of them laid."

His light quip is met with a giggle from Holly. She'd been thinking the same thing.

"If we're lucky, they'll like each other out of bed too."

An hour later, the smiles are replaced with silent tears as Holly and Laurie say their final goodbye's to Holly's parents. Tim makes sure that he stays close to Holly's side, one arm around her shoulders, the other holding her hand as she listens to the closing comments from the priest.

Gibbs can tell from the set of Laurie's shoulders the exact moment that she starts crying. It's a slight change in her posture, almost imperceptible, but it's there. A quick slump and then she's back to being ramrod straight. He silently offers her his handkerchief and she takes it from him in silent gratitude.

As they leave the cemetery, the couples leave the same way they'd come. Tim and Holly with a slightly subdued Jethro head back towards Holly's apartment. Gibbs escorts Laurie to his car and drives her back to his place.

Tim's watching the rear view mirror and smiles faintly when he sees the other car turn away from his part of town. He escorts Holly up to her door and is turning to leave when she quietly asks him if he'll bring up Jethro and stay for a bit.

A/N: Almost done with Tim's story guys. Another chapter, maybe two and then we'll see about exploring Gibbs story…if you want me to that is. Reviews are better than chocolate...well a close second. Thanks as always for reading and reviewing.


	26. Chapter 24 Tim Chapter 15

Knights of the NCIS Table—Tim's story Chapter 15

_Tim's watching the rear view mirror and smiles faintly when he sees the other car turn away from his part of town. He escorts Holly up to her door and is turning to leave when she quietly asks him if he'll bring up Jethro and stay for a bit. _

Tim nods his head and jogs back down the stairs. He whistles for Jethro and the big dog barks in acknowledgement. Touching the unlock button on his key fob, Tim opens the door and lets the dog out. Jethro stays by Tim's side, and two minutes later they're both up and inside Holly's apartment.

Holly's sitting on one of the kitchen chairs, staring numbly into space. Tim gently picks her up and carries her into the small living room and places her in her recliner. He motions to Jethro and the dog immediately comes over and places his head in her lap. Tim helps himself to some bottles of water out of the fridge and a light weight blanket off of Holly's bed.

He comes back into the living room and sets the waters on the table by the chair. He then places the blanket beside the chair before picking Holly up in his arms and sitting back down. He drapes the blanket over her and settles back in the chair, murmuring words that he knows won't mean anything to either of them.

Jethro lies down beside the chair, his ears perking up every now and then as if he's checking on his people. Tim snuggles Holly closer to him, letting her feel his presence, as he knows the emptiness that she's feeling. The warmth of Tim's body, the soft wuffs from Jethro, soon lull Holly into a restless sleep.

An hour later, Tim wakens from the slight slumber he'd fallen into. He gazes down at the blonde head on his chest and once again thinks about the dream he'd had prior to joining Gibbs team at NCIS. He realizes that the empty space in his chest isn't there anymore. It feels right to have this woman in his arms.

He sighs softly as he remembers that he can't call home and talk to his parents about this latest development in his life. There is one person he can talk to though and he dials Tony's number.

_**Hey you've reached the mighty Tony DiNozzo, leave a message and I'll get back to you.**_

Well, so much for that idea. Then again, he knows that Tony has been hit pretty hard by his parents' deaths too. Tony had been almost as close to the McGee's as Tim and Sarah. The older McGee's had taken to Tony the minute that Sarah introduced them. By the time that Donny had come along, Tony was a firmly established member of the McGee family.

Tim smiles faintly at the memories he's dredging up. The good memories are what he's concentrating on. He doesn't have many bad memories, unlike so many of his teammates. Tim's relationship with his family had been solid up to the day his parents died.

He sighs and Holly shifts slightly in his arms. He runs a hand down her back, soothing her back into sleep. He knows that she needs the rest and that he needs to rest too. Reluctantly, he shifts Holly so that he can stand up and carries her into the bedroom. He lays her down on the comforter and she pulls him down with her.

"Don't go, please, Tim stay for a little longer." She knows she might sound desperate but she really doesn't want to be alone. With the exception of Laurie, she has no family left to turn to.

Tim says nothing as he has Jethro bring in the blanket that is still in the living room. The German shepherd quickly comes back and nuzzles Holly's hand. She smiles at the contact and tells Tim that it's all right if Jethro gets on the bed. Tim gives the motion for up and soon dog and master have curled themselves around Holly, giving her the support she needs to make it through the day.

***

Two weeks pass and Holly smiles when she sees Sarah and Donny DiNozzo enter the newly opened Knotted C. Holly ushers them back to a corner booth and hands them both a menu. Donny's has everything that a kid could ask for, hamburgers, pizza, hot dogs, and other kid favorites. There is also a wide range of drinks available. Milk, including flavoring, water, and juices.

What surprises Sarah is that the menu is so diverse. While it gives kids a chance to eat fast food favorites, it also has dishes that adults like to eat or see their children eat.

"Aunt Holly, can you come visit us today? Uncle Tim has a cold and we need to take him some soups. I like chicken noodles. Do you have chicken noodles?"

Holly looks at Sarah who smiles, "Nothing major, just a head cold. They've had a stressful week at work, and it affects him this way sometimes."

Holly nods. She and Tim have started dating and he'd called to cancel a few times, due to the case that they'd been working on. She knows that Tim's afraid that she might not want to see him again, due to the many times he's called her saying that he can't make it.

"I get off in an hour. How about you two warm up a bit, and I'll get some soup set aside for Tim. We can take him a good dinner, how's that sound Donny?"

"Okay. Can we get cake Mommy? Daddy likes cake."

"How about we make a cake for Daddy this afternoon. We'll take Uncle Tim his dinner and bake the cake as a surprise for when Daddy gets home."

Donny nods at his mother's suggestion. Holly urges Sarah to sit down and brings them both out a cup of hot chocolate. Donny's even has extra marshmallows. By the time mother and son have finished, Holly is standing by the table with several containers in her hands.

"I hope you don't mind my coming over."

Sarah shakes her head no. "Donny has talked about you coming to visit for the past two weeks. It will mean so much to him. You and Tim are becoming his favorite people."

"Thank you, that's a high compliment from any parent."

They pull into the yard and Donny waits impatiently to be released from his seat. Once freed from the seat belt restraints, he darts inside, yelling excitedly for his Uncle Tim. the two women smile as he runs off. Holly touches Sarah on the arm.

"You are okay with me and Tim dating aren't you?"

"Actually, I haven't seen my brother this happy in years. You're very good for him, and I think he's good for you too."

"It's like we complete each other; does that make sense?"

"A lot. You two were both missing the one piece that made you whole, and you've managed to find it together. In a way it's almost ironic that our parents had to die in order for you two to meet."

"The Lord moves in mysterious ways. It's possible that we would have met later, but time and circumstances have managed to speed things up a bit. It's given us a chance that might not have happened later."

Sarah nods in agreement and as they step into the house asks, "So what are the chances of your boss and Gibbs getting together?"

"I'm not sure that even Tim could tell a tale to predict that outcome."

***

A/N: So, I'm thinking that for the moment Tim's story is done. Of course Donny could still come back and ask for one about Granpa Jefro. Reviews are always welcome, hint hint hint.

Just a quick note for those who are still reading, I realize that there is currently no such thing as a female Navy SEAL. Laurie is a character from another set of stories that I'm working on in which the non-combatant rule does not apply.


	27. Chapter 25 Gibbs Chapter 1

Knights of the NCIS Table-- Gibbs Tale

It's been several weeks since Leroy Jethro Gibbs had last seen Laurie Fields. The female Navy SEAL had honored his request to talk to him. Three days after McGee buried his parents, Gibbs and Laurie met in his office.

"Commander, can I offer you some coffee?" He'd had a coffee pot put into the office the minute he'd taken the position as Assistant Director. He might not be in the field that often anymore, but he still demanded a good cup of coffee. This way he was assured of having one.

"No, thank you." He notices that once again she's out of uniform. Today she's wearing blue jeans, a peach colored polo shirt, and tennis shoes. Her hair is in its traditional braid and hanging down her back. She's wearing no make up that he can see, aside from a clear lip gloss or balm.

"Commander, what in the name of hell is going on? Who and maybe more precisely what are you? What is your clearance level and why are you here?"

"Permission to speak freely?"

He nods impatiently wanting answers and wanting them yesterday.

"As for what is going on, I'm not precisely sure. I am or rather I was the last active member of a Special Forces unit. My clearance level is above your own and therefore I'm not supposed to tell you that Alpha/Omega Blue does exist. I'm here to try and answer your questions."

Her clear gaze meets his head on. She's not lying to him. He sighs in frustration. Then realizes what questions she had answered.

"What Special Forces units, aside from the SEALs, were you affiliated with?"

"Only one and you've never heard of it. It's due to being in that unit that I have the clearance that I do."

"Black ops I take it then?"

"In a manner of speaking yes. We haven't been active though for almost 20 years. I liked being a team player and went back to the Teams as soon as my tour was over."

"Why does no one know of your existence?"

"Those who needed to be were informed. As I am no longer an active member in any military unit, there was no need to inform you prior to our first meeting."

"During which you conveniently forgot to mention your affiliation." His sarcastic comment is met with one of her own.

"I apologize, I was on an errand and forgot that I had to tell someone, that I didn't know, my entire background story."

He nods his head in acknowledgement. He knows it's difficult having to tell someone that their relative is dead. Having to tell a friend isn't something that he wants to do anytime soon. She'd come straight from Hawaii to inform not only her friend but his youngest agent about their parents.

"How did you get them here so soon? You said at the time that you couldn't tell me. That you'd have to show me. Well, I'm waiting for show and tell to start."

She rolls her eyes at the comment, her own irritation finally beginning to show. He has to admire that much about her. For all the badgering he's putting her through so far she hasn't faltered in any of her explanations.

She smiles suddenly and he wonders what brought it on. Staring into her eyes, he sees a glint of pure mischief highlight the lavender orbs. She lightly touches his hand and a second later, they're both standing in the elevator. Before he can say a word they're back in his office.

"Damn, what the hell are you?" The words are harsher than he might have expected.

"I'm a human the same as you are Jethro. I just happen to have a couple of abilities a normal human doesn't."

"Like?

"Like teleportation, and the ability to heal when I get there in time." The last is definite self recrimination and he remembers Holly's comment. ""What happened? Why didn't you save them?""

"You are that powerful?" His voice is hushed.

She smiles somewhat grimly and nods as she says, "Sometimes, if I can get to the person in time. In the case of the McGee's and Breaker's it was a straight through and through shot to the heart. I had no chance of getting to them in time. If we'd gotten called in earlier, maybe, but there's no real way of knowing."

"We can go to Abby's lab and put it through a simulation."

She shakes her head. "We've put them to rest, let them lie."

He doesn't say anything, and she knows that he's probably going to have Abby put it through the simulation anyway. Her eyes narrow and she glares at him slightly. "You were a sniper in the Marines. You know a death shot when you see one. Why put your own agent through an emotional ringer if you don't have to?!"

That tells him that she's done her own background check in the two days since they supposedly last saw each other. They hadn't discussed backgrounds when he'd driven her home after the Breakers' funerals. They hadn't done much of anything. He'd gone downstairs to start work on a new boat, and she'd surprised him by helping him. He'd shown her the spare bedroom and she'd cooked a few meals in return. They'd gotten up this morning, shared breakfast and left in separate cars.

"Why a car when you can teleport?"

"I can't see anything when I teleport. I have a clear view in my mind of where I'm going and where I came from. There's nothing in between."

"Makes it a bit difficult to plan where you're landing doesn't it?"

She nods laughing at some of the places she's landed in the past. "Mmm…yeah try not to upset a camel when you pop in behind it."

He can't help but laugh at the image of a camel turning its head to see what just arrived behind it. His desk phone rings and he automatically sets it on speaker.

"Gibbs."

"_Granpa Jefro? Can you come eat lunch with me and Mommy?"_

"Donny, where's your dad at buddy?"

"_He's with Uncle Tim. They went to cheer up Aunt Holly but I has a cold and mommy wouldn't let me go too."_

Laurie hides a smile as she sees the conflicting emotions on Gibbs face. He clearly loves to spend time with the youngest DiNozzo, and rarely has the opportunity to. She starts to leave but a soft voice says, "Stop." In a clearer voice Gibbs addresses his grandson.

"I'll be there shortly. Shall I bring Miss Laurie with me?"

"_Yes please, she can cook for us."_

_***_

And so we begin the Gibbs section of the Knights of NCIS. Admittedly I'm taking it a bit backwards from the other segments, but it needed to be done this way. Once again, I realize that there are no female Navy SEALs, at least not in real life. Reviews are welcome as always.


	28. Chapter 26 Gibbs Chapter 2

Knights of the NCIS Table—Gibbs Chapter 2

_**Laurie hides a smile as she sees the conflicting emotions on Gibbs face. He clearly loves to spend time with the youngest DiNozzo, and rarely has the opportunity to. She starts to leave but a soft voice says, "Stop." In a clearer voice Gibbs addresses his grandson.  
**_

"_**I'll be there shortly. Shall I bring Miss Laurie with me?"**_

"_Yes please, she can cook for us."_

_***_

As Gibbs finishes saying goodbye to his grandson, Laurie struggles to hold the laughter back. He no sooner hangs up and she's lost the battle. Tears of laughter roll down her cheeks as she recalls Donny saying that she can cook for Gibbs, Donny and Sarah.

"Sorry, but that was too precious. He takes after Tony I take it?" Her comment makes Gibbs lips start to twitch in his own smile. Donald DiNozzo is almost a mirror image of what Tony could have been like at that age. His manners are clearly a product of Sarah and Tim, but the rest of him is pure Tony.

As he laughs with the woman in front of him it finally dawns on him something she'd said earlier.

"You're no longer in the military as of when?" she'd been in uniform all day Monday, yet she hadn't on Tuesday.

Her sad smile confirms his suspicions, "My last official act as a member of the Navy SEALs was the funeral Monday afternoon."

He can tell that it hit her hard, this particular funeral. "Who was he?"

"My father, well, the man I called father for the last 25 years anyway. He was the one who recruited me, who brought me home to his family, who made sure I had a family when no one else was around. His name was Charlie Cutter and he was one of my best friends. Margie, his widow asked me to officiate the funeral."

That nails him to his seat. This woman had taken the time to console his agent, brought her friend over for his agent to lean on and then gone on to her second of three funerals, the last two being the most personal. What had he done, taken her to task for not telling him about her military background. He was surprised she hadn't backhanded him by now.

"Waste of energy, I'd have to heal you again." She gives him a wry smile as he realizes what that implies.

"You read minds too?" He's not too sure he likes the sound of that.

"I try not to, but you're easy to read right now; and no, I haven't tried to read you since we've met. I see it as an invasion of privacy; I only enter when I'm allowed or if the other person needs me to."

"Speaking of needs, there's a little boy who needs his grandfather." He comes around the desk and offers her his hand to help her to her feet. She accepts it gracefully and stands up.

"Granpa Jefro." Her light teasing brings a mock scowl to his face.

"Just watch it or he might start callin' you Granma."

"Now **that** would be an honor."

****

The car screeches to a halt in front of Sarah and Tony's house and Gibbs looks at Laurie with a new respect. In the short time he's known her, and driven with her, not once has she gripped the door handle or the suicide straps. "You've driven with others like me, I take it?"

"You mean mad men who think the speed limit is for sissies? Please, Jethro, I've spent the last 20 years in the company of Navy SEALs. One ex-Marine's driving is nothing compared to that." She's also remembering the five years she'd spent with a kamikaze fighter pilot who thought that Mach 1 was a snail's pace.

***

Donny is waiting anxiously inside for his Granpa Jefro. Gibbs no sooner darkens the porch and the front door is thrown open and Donny is entwined around Gibbs legs.

"Hey buddy, you feeling any better?" Gibbs' concerned gaze focuses on Donny's face, taking in the slightly reddened nose and cheeks. He glances sideways at Laurie who understands immediately what he's asking and gently lays a hand on Donny's forehead.

"Wow, let's get you inside, Donny boy. You'll be heating up the neighborhood if we don't."

"You're funny, Miss Laurie. I can't warm up the neighborhood. Can you?"

"Me personally, no but there is a person out there who is so warm that she melts snow whenever she goes jogging in the winter time."

Donny giggles at the image she's presenting. He coughs a little and draws their attention back to his small body. Laurie frowns as she realizes that he's warmer than he should be. Gibbs carries him inside and sits on the couch with him. Laurie looks around for Sarah and doesn't immediately find the younger woman.

"Stay with him, keep him warm, I'm going to look for Sarah." She steps into the kitchen long enough to come back with some juice for Donny and coffee for Gibbs. "Make sure he stays hydrated."

She runs up the stairs. Sarah is asleep on her bed, fighting the same flu symptoms that Donny has. Laurie covers her with a light blanket before going into the bedroom and bringing back a glass of water. She has Sarah drink as much as the other woman can handle before Sarah falls back asleep.

Back downstairs, Gibbs has talked Donny into drinking most of the juice. The little boy is cranky due to his fever and wants Gibbs to tell him a story. Gibbs cradles him close and tries to recall something that he used to tell Kelly.

"Granpa? Can you tell me a story about King Jed?" Gibbs blinks in surprise. He hasn't heard too many of Tim's stories regarding the fabled King Jed and his knights. He sighs as the little boy leans against him, watching him with fever-laced blue eyes.

"Okay, do you want Thym and Anton in there too?" He figures he might be able to vaguely incorporate them into a story if he needs to.

"Nope, just want King Jed and his queen."

Gibbs almost chokes on his coffee.


	29. Chapter 27 Gibbs Chapter 3

Knights of the NCIS Table—Gibbs Chapter 3

"_**Okay, do you want Thym and Anton in there too?" He figures he might be able to vaguely incorporate them into a story if he needs to. **_

"_**Nope, just want King Jed and his queen." **_

_**Gibbs almost chokes on his coffee.**_

***

Laurie chuckles to herself as she hears Donny request a story from Gibbs. When the boy requests King Jed and his queen as the main characters she has to bury her face in a dishtowel to keep Gibbs from hearing her laughter. She can just imagine the look on the former marine's face.

She finishes preparing some soup and rounds up several water bottles to fill with juice as well as water. She also puts a fresh pot of coffee on knowing that the man will need a refill soon.

***

Donny looks up at his grandfather, waiting for the man to begin his story. Gibbs is deep in thought as he tries to figure out when in Tim's stories King Jed got married. Donny tells him, "You can tell me how King Jed meets his queen. Uncle Tim hasn't told me that part yet. I just think that as a King he should have a queen. Otherwise he'll be lonely, like you are sometimes."

***

Out of the mouths of babes thinks Laurie wondering how Gibbs will respond. She knows that the food needs to cool before they eat, so she turns the stove off and heads into the living room.

***

Gibbs blinks a few times as he wonders how to respond. Deciding not to dwell on it, especially with this precious one in his arms he clears his throat and starts his tale.

"Once upon a time, a long, long, long time ago there lived a king named Jed. Now King Jed had a lot of knights and other vassals that worked under him, but he didn't have anyone that lived with him. At least, not anymore. Many years before this story begins, King Jed had been married to the beautiful and wise Queen Shannon.

Shannon and King Jed were married for several years and even had a daughter they named Kelly. One day, Kelly and Shannon were out in the woods when a terrible black dragon came. He kidnapped them and King Jed went out after them. King Jed found the two, but not before the evil dragon had killed them. King Jed was furious and armed with his mighty sword "Dragonslayer" he killed the black dragon.

***

Donny looks over at Laurie as she sits next to them on the couch. She hands Gibbs a fresh cup of coffee, and hands Donny a bottle of juice as Donny tells her, "Shannon and Kelly were Granpa's real wife and little girl. He misses them a lot."

She says nothing as she caresses his cheek before giving Gibbs hand a squeeze. He gives a subtle squeeze in reply before returning to the story.

***

Almost twenty years pass and during this time, King Jed has met many fine princesses and wanna be queens, but there was no one who tweaked his interests. Sure there were the few who were as militant as he could be, but they didn't have much of a feminine side. The others were almost too frilly for his tastes, wanting to tame him or keep him from adventuring with his knights.

One day, he's out checking on his fields when he sees the friendly blue dragon Thym flying towards him. He waves at the dragon who lands in the closest clearing. The beast then changes to human form, so that the two can talk easier.

"I'm glad that I found you, Your Majesty. Crystal and I were flying over the eastern hemisphere when I discovered what at first appeared to be a body. Crystal managed to create a healing potion for the person, but we're not equipped to take care of him. Would you mind flying with me so that we can bring him back to your castle where your advisor can care for him?"

"Just tell me where to mount at."

***

Laurie looks at the little boy finally asleep in his grandpa's arms. She lightly touches his cheek and is relieved to see that the fever is subsiding. She says as much to Gibbs before standing up to go check on Sarah.

The younger woman is breathing slightly easier and Laurie can tell that her fever has broken too. She takes a small breath and sends a burst of healing energy through Sarah's body. She hadn't done so earlier, because she needed the fever to break first. This way, by taking it in small doses, Sarah can heal quickly without worry about her unborn child.

Going back downstairs, she checks on the now cooled food and finds that it's not as cold as it could have been. She heats up two bowls of soup in the microwave, and brings them out to the living room. Gibbs has lain Donny down on the other couch and covered him with an afghan. He stands upright when Laurie enters the room.

"Thanks, you really didn't have to prepare lunch you know." He sits back down on the couch and to his surprise she sits beside him. She turns sideways so that she see him as they eat.

"I like to cook, it's the main reason I opened the Knotted C restaurants. Being around friends is just an added bonus."

He finishes off his soup and goes out for seconds. She hears the microwave whirring as he heats his second bowl. There's a few seconds that pass as he opens the fridge and brings out a fresh bottle of water which he hands to Laurie. She smiles her thanks and they continue eating in companionable silence.

***

A/N: That's all…just kidding, chapter four should be up by this weekend. Thank you all as always for reading and for those who actually do review extra thanks to you.


	30. Chapter 28 Gibbs Chapter 4

Knights of the NCIS Table—Gibbs Chapter 4

(A/N: this chapter is for the wicked plot bunnies everywhere who deny other authors the chance to develop a terrific story for readers/writers alike. Vrukalakos this chapter is for you!)

_She smiles her thanks and they continue eating in companionable silence_.

***

A few minutes later they hear Tony's footsteps outside the door. He'd seen Gibbs car and knows that Donny had somehow conned his boss into coming for a visit. He doesn't realize at first that Laurie is there too.

"Hey Boss, what are you doing here?" He tosses his jacket into his chair as he comes over to check on Donny.

"Someone needed a story. How's Tim doing?"

"He's a little down, but Holly's been there to help bring him up again. Which is amazing when you consider she just buried her parents too." He sighs as he sits down. Gibbs runs a practiced eye over the man he considers his oldest son. He takes in the exhaustion, the heavy breathing and knows that Tony is probably fighting the same illness that has taken over his wife and son.

Laurie unwinds herself from the couch and reaches down for Gibbs' empty bowl. She softly asks if he wants more and at the negative shake of his head, she heads for the kitchen. She pours out another bowl of the soup, and heats it up for Tony. She grabs a cup of coffee and hands both to the half asleep agent.

As their hands touch she's able to determine just how sick Tony is and what she'll need to do to keep him from getting to the point that Sarah and Donny were at. The slight, very subtle burst of energy that she gives him, barely registers in his mind. He just knows that he has enough energy to eat the meal in front of him. When Tony finishes his meal he drops off to sleep in his chair. Gibbs gently raises the footstool so that Tony can relax a little bit easier in his sleep.

Laurie puts the food away knowing that the family probably won't wake up for a few hours now due to the healing powers that she's infused them with. She's hoping that when they wake up they'll all want to eat and will be able to take in fluids as well.

Gibbs watches from the hallway as Laurie works in the kitchen. He'd meant to interrogate her today and instead she'd ended up helping his family. He smiles at the thought of calling Tony family, yet he knows that in a way, the entire team has become just that.

The lady in his current line of sight finishes cleaning up the kitchen and turns to find him watching her. A cautious smile crosses her lips as she steps closer to him. She stops first at the coffee pot and raises it, silently asking if he needs a refill. He nods and she brings it over to him topping off his cup. She places the empty carafe in the sink so that she can wash it, before coming back to stand by Gibbs.

They enter the living room and immediately notice that Donny has moved from the couch to the chair that Tony is asleep in. The little boy has dragged his blanket and his favorite stuffed animal into the chair with him. Gibbs laughs silently at the gray rabbit. He'd given it to Donny when he was a baby and the little boy had latched onto it almost from day one.

Tony told him that Donny informed him one day that the rabbit's name is Plot. When Gibbs had asked why, Tony just shrugged and said that they'd been watching Top Gun. Due to the theme of the movie, it's possible that Donny was trying to say "Pilot". The rabbit has been through many washes and still seems to be asking in silent wonder what it had done to be tormented this way by humans.

Laurie straightens the blanket around both male DiNozzos. She can tell from the slight touch that one more burst of healing will cure the father and the son. She gives Gibbs a thumbs up sign before moving upstairs to check on Sarah.

Sarah is actually starting to wake up, much to Laurie's delight. She makes sure that the younger woman is stable enough to stand before she heads back downstairs. Once she hits the bottom floor she asks Gibbs to wait for Sarah to come out of the bedroom, as the younger woman might want help descending the stairs.

"She's awake, but I'm not certain how steady she'll be once she tries to come down here. I'm going to heat up some soup for her while you make sure she's okay."

Gibbs nods and heads up the stairs to wait for Sarah. He's not going to let her risk the stairs if she's that weak. Sarah opens her bedroom door and smiles weakly at him. She's wearing flannel pajamas and a warm robe. He just picks her up and carries her downstairs. He then places her in the other recliner. She smiles at the sight of Tony and Donny sleeping peacefully together.

"That's one sight I hope I never get used to."

"You won't. You'll treasure these moments, especially these first five years or so. They're what define the adults they'll grow into being."

Laurie stops just inside the doorway as she listens to Gibbs and Sarah. Once she'd hoped to have someone talk to her the way that Gibbs is talking to Sarah; with love, wisdom and understanding. The loss of not just her husband but her unborn child ended that particular dream. Laurie's husband Rick had been adopted as a child and his foster parents had died shortly before Laurie and her husband had gotten married. Rick hadn't been able to find out who his real parents were before he'd been killed.

Rather than drown in remorse, Laurie clears her throat and steps into the room, handing the warm bowl of soup to Sarah as she does so.

"It should be just hot enough to warm your tummy without causing junior to jump in circles."

Sarah dips her spoon in not sure if she's going to be able to keep the soup down. To her rather mild surprise she is able to and she relaxes as she finishes off the meal. Eating does make her tired again and she falls asleep soon after she finishes. Gibbs looks at Laurie in concern but she shakes her head.

"It's to be expected, especially considering how sick they actually were. Sleep will help them all heal faster, help them get over this quicker than if they were up all night and I suspect they were." She's looking at the dark circles under Tony's eyes and knows that he's probably getting the first sleep he's had in at least 24 hours.

***

A/N: not to worry, the story between Gibbs and Donny will still happen, I just needed the entire family present for the "rest of the story."


	31. Chapter 29 Gibbs Chapter 5

( A/N: I'm gonna be nice and give you guys two chapters tonight. )

Knights of the NCIS Table—Gibbs chapter 5

By mutual agreement, they leave water and juice bottles on the table between the two chairs, then adjourn to the deck that surrounds the house. They grab the baby monitor that's in the kitchen as they go, so that they can hear if any of the DiNozzo family wakes up while they are outside.

As they perch on the railing, Gibbs recalls the last time they'd been out here. She'd followed him after Donny had asked him if he missed the McGee's.

*flashback*

As Donny tells his tale about his grandmother, Gibbs takes the opportunity to walk out the back door. He knows that someone will follow him. He just wasn't expecting Laurie to be the one to find him.

"You forgot your coffee." She offers him a fresh cup of the steaming beverage, and turns to watch as a squirrel gets chased by a bird. The bird is chirping in outrage and the squirrel scampers under a car hiding until the bird leaves.

Gibbs takes a deep swallow of the coffee as he ponders what to do or say next. He knows that his team and Sarah understand his sudden need for fresh air, and isn't quite sure how to relay that information to the woman by his side.

"My husband was killed during the war. We had been married only a few months. I was hit by a drunk driver shortly after I received word about his death. The baby never had a chance."

Gibbs stares at her. As he thinks back to what she's told him so far, she'd lost her husband and child almost the same time he'd lost Shannon and Kelly. He steps closer, hooks an arm around a post as he tells her about losing his wife and child and his subsequent steps towards revenge.

"I couldn't have revenge. War is something that takes without meaning. As for Ricky, yes we'd planned on naming him after my husband; I found out later that the drunk driver ended up losing his own life a few days after I got out of the hospital. Even there I was denied any revenge I might have wanted."

Tim had come out a short time later, letting them know that the rest of the family, including Holly would be in the living room listening to the latest Knights story.

*end flashback*

Gibbs blinks as he comes back to the present. He knows from experience that one of the DiNozzos will be waking up soon and isn't sure he wants to get into a battle of wits with Laurie if they'll only get interrupted again. Aside from all that he has to come up the rest of the story he was telling Donny. And then there's the matter of how he's been treating Laurie. He nods to himself as he makes his decision and stands up.

Laurie looks at him as he shifts position. He comes to stand in front of her. He extends his hand and says, "I'm Jethro Gibbs, pleased to meet you."

"Nice to meet you, Jethro Gibbs, my name is Laurie Fields."

They shake hands and share a smile of friendship. They both turn when they hear a loud screech coming from above them. Almost like a replay of the weekend, a large gray bird comes swooping down behind the rapidly retreating form of an equally large black squirrel. The bird is once again chirping in irritation and outrage as it chases the squirrel under the neighbor's car.

"Well we know that Tim isn't going to be the story teller tonight, should we head in and I'll start fixing a light meal for everyone?"

"Sure, can we have that Chicken Alfredo thing again sometime?" He almost stumbles as he realizes that he's just asked her to go out with him. She says nothing as she lightly hops down from the railing and takes his arm, letting him escort her inside.

Laurie knows that the man beside her is almost as reclusive as she herself is. For the man to have offered her the chance to cook for him is almost unheard of; especially since the man is question has been married three times and his trust in women has to be almost nil.

Laurie pulls two chickens out of the freezer as she watches Gibbs retreat into the living room to check on Tony and his family. She starts preparations for some chicken noodle soup, knowing that it should taste pretty good when the family finally wakes up.

After chopping up carrots, celery and onions, she adds some parsley, thyme and bay leaves, covering the mixture with water to create the soup base. She places the chicken in there as well, letting the flavors soak into the meat.

While that is coming up to a boil she pours some flour into a bowl. Adding some eggs, water and a touch of shortening, she soon has a dough ball that she rolls out into homemade noodles.

The noodles sit on the counter drying and Laurie takes her dishes to the sink. Gibbs walks in behind her noting all the preparations she's made so far. He smiles as he remembers his mother making homemade soups when he was a child. He lifts the lid on the chicken mixture and inhales the aromas.

"Hmm that smells good already. You gonna drain the stock then add the noodles later?"

She nods as she finishes up the few dishes that she's created. When she turns to face him, he can't help smiling at the flour on her cheeks. He steps closer, and gently takes the dishtowel out of her hands so that he can wipe the flour from her face. Wide lavender eyes watch as his head dips towards hers.

"Granpa? Where'd you go?"

***

A/N: heheheh yes I know I'm a wicked woman…chapter 6 and the rest of Donny's story will be here by the weekend. Enjoy my friends.


	32. Chapter 30 Gibbs Chapter 6

Knights of the NCIS Table—Gibbs Chapter 6

_She nods as she finishes washing up the few dishes that she's created. When she turns to face him, he can't help smiling at the flour on her cheeks. He steps closer, and gently takes the dishtowel out of her hands so that he can wipe the flour from her face. Wide lavender eyes watch as his head dips towards hers. _

_  
"Granpa? Where'd you go?" _

***

Gibbs steps back, but keeps his hand near Laurie's cheek. "We need to talk."

She nods in agreement, relishing the slight contact between them. "Not here, not now. Maybe not tomorrow."

Her light teasing reminder of his words to her just a few days before brings a small frown to his face. "I shouldn't have said that to you, considering everything that had happened."

She puts a finger to his lips, "We will discuss this later. For now consider it water under the bridge. Now go see what your grandson needs before he comes in here and starts asking questions."

For a brief second he seriously thinks about kissing that finger, then walks out of the room to see what Donny might need. The blonde haired imp is sitting on the arm of the chair that he had shared with Tony. The bunny Plot is getting the life squeezed out of it as Donny waits for someone to tell him why his parents are sleeping in the middle of the day.

"Hey buddy, how are ya feeling?"

"I'm hungry; can I have something to eat?"

Gibbs smiles in relief at the request for food. He knows that Laurie would have heard them, and nods. He picks Donny up, noting the sweaty clothes. "How about we go get you into some warm, dry clothes instead of these wet ones? By the time we get back down here, Miss Laurie will have your soup warmed up."

"Do I like soup, Granpa Jefro?"

"You'll like Miss Laurie's soup. Daddy and Mommy ate some earlier and your old granpa here ate two whole bowls of it."

"Are you sure I'll get any?" Donny knows that the soup bowls that his parents eat out of aren't the average small cereal bowl.

Gibbs grins at him, "Miss Laurie made sure to set aside a bowl just for you."

He gets Donny out of his sweat soaked clothes and runs a warm washcloth over the little boy's body. Then he briskly towels him off before dressing him in clean dry sweats. He then carries Donny back downstairs to the kitchen where Laurie is pulling a bowl out of the microwave.

"Here you go Donny. You don't have to eat the whole thing if you don't like it. Just try a bite before you say no, okay?"

Donny nods before dipping his spoon into the soup. "It's good, Miss Laurie. Thank you for saving some for me."

"You're welcome Master Donny. Do you like chicken noodle soup? I'm making a batch for supper tonight."

"Mmm…yummy, in my tummy. This is good too though."

Before too long the bowl is empty and Donny is watching as Laurie cuts up the noodles for that night's supper. She leaves them on the waxed paper to continue drying and turns her attention to the chicken.

"Granpa, what's Miss Laurie doing?"

"She's taking out the chicken so that it will cool. While that's cooling she'll strain the yucky stuff out of the pot and the good stuff will go back in. She'll add more vegetables to it and then add the chicken and noodles to it."

Laurie turns to look at Gibbs, a slightly surprised look in her eyes. He shrugs as he tells them that his mother used to make chicken noodle soup the same way. Donny asks, "Miss Laurie is it true? That you're making it like Granpa's mommy?"

"Possibly with one or two different herbs, but it's possible that the recipe is similar to one that your grandpa's mother used."

"Wow. Granpa, can you continue my story now? I ate my soup all gone." He lifts up his bowl so that Gibbs can see that it is indeed empty. Gibbs nods and tells him to hand it to Laurie so that she can wash it before supper.

Laurie knows that Gibbs is quietly asking her to check on his grandson, before they go back to the living room. She mouths the words, he'll be fine, and tells Donny that he needs to keep a bottle of juice or water nearby. "Just so that you don't get sick again, okay?"

The little boy nods as he picks up his bunny and waits for Gibbs to take him into the living room. Gibbs is looking for his coffee cup when Laurie tells him, "I'll bring in some coffee when it's ready, go tell your story."

Gibbs leans down and swings Donny up onto his shoulder. When he doesn't feel the twinge in his shoulder that he's used to he turns to look at the woman in the kitchen who's currently putting water in the coffee pot. He smiles faintly as he takes Donny into the living room and sits down on the same couch that he'd used earlier.

"Granpa Jefro, are Mommy and Daddy gonna be okay?"

Gibbs cuddles Donny close and tells him, "They're gonna be just fine. You know how you didn't feel well earlier today? Your Mommy and Daddy didn't feel good either. Miss Laurie is actually Doctor Laurie and she gave you all something to make you feel better."

"Okay." Donny's quiet for a few seconds before he says, "Granpa? Do you like Miss Laurie?"

Gibbs freezes for a whole two seconds. He relaxes again as he says, "She's a nice person, why do you ask?"

"I like her, that's all. She cooks good and likes to take care of us." He snuggles closer before demanding that Gibbs start his story again. Gibbs verifies that the child is awake and continues.

***

"_I'm glad that I found you, Your Majesty. Crystal and I were flying over the eastern hemisphere when I discovered what at first appeared to be a body. Crystal managed to create a healing potion for the person, but we're not equipped to take care of him. Would you mind flying with me so that we can bring him back to your castle where your advisor can care for him?"_

"_Just tell me where to mount at."_

Two minutes later and King Jed is coming to realize why his knight Anton likes to fly. The sense of freedom that he feels as Thym dips and dives with the currents is exhilarating.

They land at the series of caves that Thym and Crystal share and the small pseudo-dragon comes out to greet them.

_**Hello, King Jed, a pleasure it is to see you again**_.

"The pleasure is mine Crystal. Now where is your guest so that I can take him home?"

_**This way.**_ Crystal flutters over to Thym who tries hard to look nonchalant.

***

"What's non –challenge mean, Granpa?"

"You know how your Uncle Tim likes to pretend he's innocent sometimes; that's what nonchalant is."

"Ohh…I think Uncle Tim musta learned that from Daddy though. Daddy's always looking innocent according to Mommy."

Gibbs tries not to choke on his laughter as he continues.

***

A/N: The story continues and Chapter 7 will be out later this weekend. Thanks for reading and reviewing you guys ROCK. (The plot bunnies gnash their teeth in anger at the blatant disregard for bunny plotters everywhere. Tigyr takes her stash of chocolate and hides.)


	33. Chapter 31 Gibbs Chapter 7

Knights of the NCIS Table—Gibbs Chapter 7

"_Ohh…I think Uncle Tim musta learned that from Daddy though. Daddy's always looking innocent according to Mommy." _

_Gibbs tries not to choke on his laughter as he continues. _

***

Thym waits for Crystal to land on his shoulder before leading King Jed to their guest. The pseudo-dragon is hissing in Thym's ear the entire length of the journey, and while Jed doesn't know what Crystal is saying, he can take a pretty accurate guess. When Jed sees exactly what their guest is, he knows he was right.

The dragons' guest is a female and from her clothing appears to have been a warrior at one time. Looking at her armament Jed can't immediately place what kingdom she might have come from. She has no identification marks and no noticeable tattooing.

"Where did you say you found her?" His questioning glance is met with a sudden agitation from the blue dragon. Jed stands up, walks over to the dragon and stares at him.

"Thym, where did you find this female?" His voice is soft yet imminently dangerous. The dragon swallows hard and averts his gaze.

"Onthecontinent thatdoesntborderus." Thym speaks so fast that Jed isn't sure that he'd heard him correctly. He glances at Crystal who nods serenely.

"You brought her here, away from her own home, from another country? Are you nuts?"

The dragon doesn't answer; instead he runs out and changing into his dragon form flies away. Jed looks at Crystal who shrugs eloquently.

_**He knows that you're lonely and wanted to bring you someone who might become a companion to you. This little one has no home. She's been on her own for a long time. I have watched over her for many years**_.

Jed sighs knowing that his anger wasn't so much directed at Thym but at the circumstances that had brought the woman to his domain. As he takes in the information that Crystal has given him he looks up at the pseudo-dragon wondering why she would have stayed with the woman for so long.

_**She has a good heart, and a nurturing one. She found some wolf cubs a few years ago. Their mother had been killed by poachers and she saved them from becoming pelts**_.

"She have a name?"

_**Her name is Tandel**_.

***

Laurie hides a smile as she knows how Gibbs came up with that particular name. He'd looked around the room and his eyes had lighted on the two computers that were in the room. One of the computers is an old p.c. made by the defunct Tandy Company that Donny plays games on and the other is Tony's new Dell laptop.

Gibbs lazily reaches out and head slaps her for the smirk. Before she can even think of retaliating, Donny exclaims, "Wow, Granpa must like you Miss Laurie! He only head slaps those he likes."

***

Jed leans over the still form of Tandel, and finds himself facing a dagger. Rather than try and take the weapon away from her, he sits back on his heels as the injured woman slowly sits up. She blinks several times, as if trying to clear her eyes.

"Crystal? What happened, where am I?"

Crystal flutters closer uttering a peculiar sound. Jed realizes that the dragon is making sure Tandel knows where Crystal is at. When Crystal speaks to Tandel, she also sends the telepathic message to Jed.

_**You were injured in your last battle. Thym found you on one of his journeys and brought you to the kingdom ruled by King Jed**_.

***

"Granpa Jefro, whatcha gonna call King Jed's kingdom?"

Laurie mutters "Sinkorswim."

Jethro gives her a mock glare and slightly raises his hand. It's met with a hand at the back of his own head.

***

Tony almost jumps out of his chair when he sees the slightly tanned hand connect with Gibbs head. He's been listening to the story and realizes that even though his boss hasn't been around children for a good many years, he hasn't lost his touch when it comes to telling a story. He waits for Gibbs to do something to retaliate, but the boss surprises him by chuckling and returning to the story he's been telling Donny.

***

"My apologies Your Highness for greeting you in such a bad manner. I offer you my knife as penance."

Jed can see that there is a thin film covering Tandel's eyes. She's looking straight at him, even if she's unable to see him. She flips the knife in her hand so that the blade is now pointed at her, and the hilt is extended towards him.

"Keep it, you might need it eventually. I have no problem with you being able to protect yourself. I would like to know how you came to be in this state."

Tandel shrugs and –

***

"Where you going?" Donny isn't sure why Laurie is standing, and heading into the kitchen.

"I have to check on the noodles, don't worry I'll be right back." She smiles reassuringly and true to her word is back within a few minutes. Gibbs hasn't continued the story yet, wanting to make sure that he won't be interrupted if she has to finish the meal.

"It'll be another half hour." She sits down next to Gibbs and Donny once again, handing Gibbs a fresh cup of coffee as she does so. He stares at the spot where his coffee cup had been. She'd managed to snag it without his noticing on her way out to the kitchen.

***

Tandel shrugs and as she does so, Jed sees for the first time the shape of her ears. He sits down and looks at Crystal in surprise. The pseudo-dragon tells him that Tandel is an elf. She'd been wandering the woods on Nacrines for at least a day before Crystal realized that Tandel was there.

The elf isn't totally blind, she can see shapes and images and her hearing almost rivals that of Crystal and Thym.

"Had you been able to see before you ended up on Nacrines?"

Tandel nods, "Yes, it's just another test that Corellon, my god, is putting me through. Although I do hope he lets me stay longer than a few years this time."

Not sure how to respond to that Jed asks if she will let him bind her eyes.

"Thym flies pretty fast, and we don't need your eyes to get worse."

Tandel nods at his logic and sits passively while he wraps a cloth around her eyes. He'd found the cloth in her backpack. It has many things that Jed himself uses or had used prior to his marriage to Shannon. Rope, candles, extra rations, and to his surprise some herbs are in there too. When he finishes, he looks for Crystal and asks her if she'll find Thym so that they can take Tandel back to Senrinca and his home.

***

The harsh ring of a cell phone interrupts the story. Four pairs of hands reach for their phones and Gibbs realizes that he's had more than just an audience of two. Gibbs glares at his phone briefly before he answers.

"Yeah, Gibbs. No, I won't be back in tonight." He rolls his eyes and they can hear an excited Abby chattering in the background.

"Abbs. Abbs. Abby! I'm not coming back in tonight. Give the machines a rest and go home."

He hangs up and they all look at him. In an effort to kill the silence, Laurie stands up, stretches and announces that the soup should be ready by now. Tony sits up and asks if he can help her with anything. She looks a little surprised by the offer, but declines and tells him that he should get cleaned up first.

"Go on, you and Sarah go wash your hands and faces. I'll have everything ready when you come back."

Tony barely refrains from sticking his tongue out and saying, "Yes Mom."

Gibbs walks up beside him, gently cuffing the back of his head. "Behave, DiNozzo, she's been here all day, as have I."

Tony groans at the implication. He knows that Gibbs had planned to interrogate Laurie that day and instead had come here to help Sarah and Donny. The fact that Laurie stayed, when she had no reason to, finally hits home.

***

A/N: That's it for chapter 7. The plot bunnies are trying to take revenge for the past few chapters so number 8 might take a day longer than normal. Thanks as always for reading and reviewing.


	34. Chapter 32 Gibbs Chapter 8

Knights of the NCIS Table— Gibbs Chapter 8

_Tony groans at the implication. He knows that Gibbs had planned to interrogate Laurie that day and instead had come here to help Sarah and Donny. The fact that Laurie stayed, when she had no reason to, finally hits home. _

***

Supper is eaten in relative silence. The only words spoken are "pass the noodles" or "thank you."

Donny finishes his soup before the adults do, and smacks his lips. "Yummy in my tummy, thank you Miss Laurie that was good."

"You're welcome Master Donny, would you like more?"

Donny shakes his head and looks at the four adults. Tony has been silent the entire time, making those who know him wonder what's going on inside his head. Sarah sends a questioning look to her husband who avoids her gaze for the first time in their marriage.

"If it's all right with Master Donny, I'm going to have to take my leave." Laurie stands up to go kneel by the little boy.

"Is it because I did something wrong?"

At the innocent question she smiles and says, "No little one, but if you want to be able to see me more often, I need to say goodbye to a few friends first."

"You will come back, won't you?"

"Of course I will, we have to let Granpa Jefro finish his story don't we?" she looks up at Gibbs who nods his agreement. He too stands up and picking up Donny out of his chair whirls him around.

"I need to take Miss Laurie to the airport so that she can come back to us sooner. You stay here with your mom and dad. Watch over them for me, okay?"

Donny nods gravely and holds out his arms to Laurie. She gently extracts him from Gibbs and gives him a bear hug. Gibbs can almost see an invisible bubble surround the boy and knows that Laurie is finishing her healing on him.

Tony stands up and extends his hand. "Thank you for helping my family today. You didn't have to, and I do appreciate it."

Laurie shakes hands with him, "Tony, it was a pleasure to spend time with all of you. I'm not just saying that either. You take care and I'll see you in a few weeks."

Sarah comes over by Tony, shakes Laurie's hand and says, "You're welcome here anytime. Especially when you can cook like that."

They all laugh and Donny breathes a sigh of relief that three of his all time favorite people are happy again. He hasn't determined if Miss Laurie is a favorite yet. She and his Granpa Jefro did seem to get along better today than they had a few days ago but he's not sure if she's gonna be his Granpa's Queen.

Sleep overtakes the boy and he slumps in Laurie's arms. She reluctantly hands him to Tony who gives her a hug before taking Donny to his room. Sarah smiles at the gesture that her husband has made. Whatever had overcome him before supper is gone, which means that she can stop worrying about him. She too gives Laurie a hug before going upstairs to check on her sleeping son.

Gibbs leads Laurie outside and they both lean against the porch for a moment. He looks at her profile and comes to the realization that for whatever reason, she means a lot to him. He's not sure what to make of it just yet, and taking her by the hand leads her over to the car.

Once they're on the road to his house she says, "You've got a nice family there, Gibbs."

"Yeah, I do."

"Hey look we agree on something." Her voice breaks off as she leans back against the seat. He doesn't say anything as he takes her hand and holds it for a few seconds, before turning his attention back to his driving. He knows that she could have teleported away by now, and is glad that she's decided to at least accompany him back to his house.

They arrive at his house and he escorts her inside. She immediately heads to the fireplace. He watches her for a moment, taking in her body language, the tilt of her head, the posture which all tells him that she doesn't want to leave.

"So don't, don't leave. Stay another night." The words are out before he can prevent it.

"I—I Damnit, Jethro, it's not that simple. I just—I have to go."

"Can you tell me why?" He's asking this time, not demanding.

She sighs and turns to face him. "It's nothing against you, I just need to go and say goodbye."

"Who is he?" He knows now that it's someone that she's either in love with or close to it.

"My adoptive father. I haven't been back to his compound for almost ten years. His top black belt, Joe, called me to let me know that Master is on his deathbed. Joe asked that I come and pay my respects. According to Joe, he doesn't have more than two weeks to live."

Another funeral, of yet another father figure. "Do you want some company?"

Oh, how she wants to say yes, but knows that if Master Takezawa sees Gibbs, he'll immediately want to know when they got married, how many kids they have etcetera.

"I don't think I want to put you through that kind of interrogation."

"Hey, consider it an undercover investigation. We go make father happy and leave again."

She stares at him. "This isn't a funny matter Jethro. My master will be expecting a ring on my finger. Loving glances, sly innuendos, the whole freaking love is in the air works."

"Yeah, so?"

"The last time I went on a mission like you're describing, I joined the SEAL's for twenty years."

"Hey, not asking you to join NCIS. Just partake in a mission that can make an old man happy. Who knows, maybe by the time we get back, you'll be able to tell me all your secrets."

"Shoulda just gone to the principal's office and taken my lickin like a good girl." Her mutter shouldn't have been heard by him, but it is.

"I can still lick ya if you want." His slow, sexy smile coupled with the teasing look in his silver blue eyes almost, almost melts her.

"Damn, turn it off already." She laughs as she agrees to let him accompany her to Japan.

A/N: hmm…might need to up the rating on this story after all…lol.


	35. Chapter 33 Gibbs Chapter 9

Knights of the NCIS Table—Gibbs Chapter 9

(A/N: I have a few readers/reviewers who were saddened that Ducky wasn't part of the story. This is for you guys.)

"Damn, turn it off already." She laughs as she agrees to let him accompany her to Japan.

***

Gibbs yawns as he enters the room that he'll be sharing with Laurie. As he takes off his shirt, he thinks about the day that's passed. The trip itself had taken mere minutes by teleportation. The greeting at the gate by a full troop of ninjas hadn't really impressed him either.

No, it was the waiting, after they were announced that had annoyed him. He knows as a sniper that waiting is long and boring, that it can take hours before your target is lined up so you can take that perfect shot. They'd been waiting for almost two hours before Laurie was finally allowed in to see her ailing father.

The man on the bed might have been made of leather, his skin looked that tough. Grey hairs were perfectly combed and chocolate brown eyes were watering when Laurie approached. Laurie had taken advantage of the two hour wait to change into a deep lavender ninja uniform.

"Why?"

"It's tradition, at least in this compound for the sons and daughters to show respect by wearing this uniform. We don't have to wear compound colors, just the uniform."

He had to admit, she'd looked pretty hot in that thing. It snuggled up against her curves, and the color deepened her eyes while accentuating the highlights in her hair. He admitted to being a little startled when she started pulling weapons out of drawers like they were socks. Knives, throwing stars, a set of well worn nunchuks, all lined up on the bed before being meticulously placed in secret pockets. The final weapon was her katana.

"Wait, that's not a ninja weapon."

"I'm not strictly a ninja." At his confused look she explains. "Several decades ago, five of the top compound masters took it upon themselves to explore the similarities and differences between a samurai and a ninja. Using that as a base to work off of they created what is now called a Ninja/Samurai or an N/S.

"When I was a small child I was in a car accident on the island of Okinawa. The master and his son took me in until my injuries healed. As they were an all male compound, Master Yamaguchi didn't think it safe to keep a female child so he asked the other compound masters if any of them could take me in."

"I take it that Takezawa is the one who took you in?"

"Master Takezawa and yes, but not right away. Child services came and put me in an orphanage. I was there for two weeks before Master Takezawa adopted me."

"Why so long?"

"He'd been out of the country, and returned two weeks after child services picked me up. His wife had wanted to adopt a daughter, so he did."

"I don't see her here."

"That's why he was gone. He'd taken her body back to the States for burial."

They'd stayed with her father for the better part of the day, not even leaving when Joe brought in Takezawa's supper. Instead, Laurie had insisted on sampling everything on her father's plate, to all three men's amusement. Gibbs made sure that he was by her side the entire time.

Joe watches too as Gibbs and Laurie put on their show for the master. He knows that Laurie isn't married as he's kept in touch with her for the past twenty years. They've been friends this entire time and she wouldn't have gotten married without either telling him or letting him be the best man.

The one thing he can tell is that there is a connection between them. One that they aren't aware of. Gibbs is hovering almost protectively over her, while she sits and converses with Takezawa in the old man's native Japanese. She has her left hand resting comfortably on the back of Gibbs right leg, keeping a connection between them. Every now and then Gibbs will run his hand over her braid.

Joe smiles when he sees that particular contact. She hasn't told him about her weakness which means that they aren't lovers. At least not yet. Deciding not to reveal his best friend's one peculiarity, Joe leaves the room so that Laurie can talk to Takezawa in private.

Gibbs watches Joe leave and decides to follow the other man. He wants to find out more about the woman he's followed to Japan.

"Hey, Joe, can we talk?"

"Sure, come on in the kitchen." He'd taken the tray with him so that he can wash up the last of the supper dishes.

"What's on your mind Gibbs?"

"She is." The ex-marine is back to short answers as he tries to figure out what he wants to know.

"Best way to tell you is to show you." Before Gibbs can respond, Joe leaves and then reappears with two books.

"You can look at these and learn about the child she was and the woman she is. They might help clear up a few things."

"She'll be with him for awhile I take it?"

"He hasn't seen her for over ten years, his choice by the way. She's going to spend whatever time she can with him."

Gibbs nods, knowing what that feeling is like too, considering his estrangement then reconciliation with his own father. The main difference is that he'd been the one to break away, not Jackson. The other difference is that Jackson is still alive and Takezawa is dying.

He looks up to thank Joe but the other man is gone. There's a thermos full of hot coffee sitting on the table in front of Gibbs. He picks it up and carries it and the photo albums back into the room that he and Laurie will share.

As he finishes undressing and sliding under the covers he yawns again. He tries to look through the first photo album but soon the book stays open on the first page as his eyelids droop and he finally dozes off.

*******

Three familiar faces look down on him with love and affection. The two females lightly touch his face while a gruff old man smiles. A few seconds pass and the trio is joined by a fourth ghostly figure.

"How is your mother doing Ricky?" Shannon had insisted that he check on Laurie before they have their intervention with Gibbs.

"She's tired, but happy that he wanted to see her again. I don't think she'll be in here tonight." The young male ghost drifts closer to the other three.

"If she missed him half as much as I miss my dad, I wouldn't be surprised if she stays there for the next two days." Kelly's staring at her dad, watching the lines slowly fade from his face.

"She did, but it was his choice and she honored his decision. Mom's always been like that." Ricky's voice is tinged with pride.

"I must say Richard; you're not much like your mother in coloring." Even in death, the dear old doctor insisted on calling everyone by their full name.

"No, I'm afraid that I look like my dad. Speaking of dad's, how did you manage to convince him to go to sleep?" Curiosity laces Ricky's voice.

"Oh that's easy my dear boy. I just had Joe put a sedative in Jethro's coffee. He drinks it so strong that he'd never be able to detect it. I have to admit it worked rather quickly." Ducky gives himself a ghostly pat on the back.

"Which one did Joe give him? THAT ONE? Holy cow, Ducky, he'll be out for at least the rest of the night. Mom developed those for a friend of hers who can't sleep at night. He still has nightmares from when he was a POW. They aren't addictive, but they'll knock you ass over teakettle out."

"Oh dear me. Well, if nothing else we—what have we here?" At Ducky's question they all turn towards the doorway.

***

A/N: Hmm…at least one more ghostly chapter ahead, and then…who knows…reviews are still welcome.


	36. Chapter 34 Gibbs Chapter 10

Knights of the NCIS Table—Gibbs Chapter 10

(Ghostly ghosts Shannon, Ducky, Kelly and Ricky discuss how to get two stubborn people to open their hearts.)

"_Oh dear me. Well, if nothing else we—what have we here?" At Ducky's question they all turn towards the doorway. _

Laurie's in the room, checking Gibbs pulse. She pulls a needleless syringe out of thin air and injects him with the contents. She checks his pulse again, smoothes the hair out of his face and leaves the room again.

"Ricky, what just happened?" Kelly's confusion is matched by Shannon and Ducky.

"Mom just pulled a sleep-walking medic on us. The dosage must have been too much, or she wouldn't have left Takey's room." Ricky is slightly shaken as he knows that his mother only pulls the sleep-walking medic when someone she cares about is in grave danger.

Shannon runs a ghostly hand over her husband's chest. "It would have killed him. I can feel his heartbeat coming back to normal. How many of those did Joe give him?"

"Two, I think." Ducky's normally jovial voice is subdued as he realizes that his best friend almost joined them.

Rather than cuss out the former M.E., Shannon sighs. She knows that Ducky genuinely cares for Gibbs, and that he would never do anything to intentionally harm him.

"Let's just see if we can get him to pay attention to us. We might want to wait until tomorrow night if he's that far under." Shannon sighs again as she realizes that despite his well meaning intention, Ducky had indeed delayed the conversation they needed to have with Gibbs.

"Why don't you just talk to him mentally? I mean, don't do it as a ghostly dream; go up to his mind and talk to him." Ricky looks at the others who are staring at him in various stages of surprise and wonder.

"How do you mean dear boy?" Ducky has no idea what Ricky is talking about.

"Well, we're ghosts now, but when we were solid, we had what mom and her friends call mental figures. They're like our mental miniatures. They protect our minds from bad things while cataloging the good."

"And how do we go about getting to Jethro's mental figure?" Ducky's getting intrigued.

"Well if it were mom going up to him, she'd knock and if he refuses to answer she'd sit down and wait for him. However as the three of you are not only ghosts but family, he might be open enough for you to slip inside and talk to him."

Shannon smiles at the youth's wisdom. She doesn't really know that much about this young man, other than the fact that he'd been Laurie's child. She gives him a ghostly hug which he returns. She sees the wistful look on his face and knows he must miss getting hugs from his real mother.

"We never really knew each other. She was only a few months along when that drunk driver hit her."

"Then how'd you-?"

"Divine intervention. I think that dad pulled one of those Marine maneuvers like Gibbs does. Glared real hard at everyone until I had a somewhat solid form." He laughs and the others laugh too at the thought of Leroy Jethro Gibbs staring down God.

Shannon is the first to sober up. She's been watching the women come and go in her husband's life. She thought he might have been serious about Colonel Hollis Mann but apparently she'd been wrong. She sees something more in his unusual relationship with Laurie than she'd seen with any of Gibbs' wives, or girlfriends.

He's almost patient with her. She knows how impatient he can be. She's been watching him for almost 20 years now. And yet he is showing compassion, sympathy and understanding to someone that he's known less than two weeks.

As for Laurie Fields, Shannon likes her. The young woman has spunk and knows how to go toe to toe with Leroy Jethro Gibbs. Best of all, she's not a redhead, so Jethro won't be comparing her to Shannon.

"Mom are you coming?"

Shannon looks at Kelly and Ducky as she stands up and floats towards the door. "No, you go on; I need to talk to our other client."

Kelly knows immediately what she means and races over to her mother. "It has to be you who talks to him, not me. He loves me because I'm his daughter; he'll listen to you because of that soul bond you've told me so much about."

Shannon looks over her daughter's head and Ducky nods his agreement. "Alright, you and Ricky go talk to Laurie then, while Ducky and I get Mister Stubborn to listen to us."

The two young adult ghosts head off down the hall. Shannon takes a deep breath and walks up to her beloved's mental walls. As Ricky had predicted, the door opens slightly when Jethro senses Shannon nearby.

"Shan? What are you doing here?"

"I'm here to talk to you. To make sure you give yourself a chance with her. That you don't throw her away."

Gibbs blinks at his beloved first wife. Shannon, the only woman he'd ever really given his heart to; the mother of his only child is standing in front of him. He reaches out to touch her and frowns as his hand passes through her.

"Why won't you let her love you Jethro Gibbs? She has the potential to become your life mate and more if you let her."

"That is precisely the reason, Shannon. I'm not sure that I can take losing another person the way I lost you and Kelly. The way Jenny was lost to our team. It hurts Shannon."

"She hurts too, Jethro. She's been hurt just as much as you have, worse, because you at least got to spend some time with Kelly. Laurie never got to feel her son's heartbeat, or hold him or anything. There were no bedtime stories, no scraped knees, no band-aids."

"She's holding back on me Shan."

"Oh for pity's sake Jethro. The woman has attended three funerals in the past week, officiating over one, and on the one day that she could have explained everything or nothing, it was your adopted grandchild that interrupted you.

"You could have told Donny that he'd have to wait until you got off work to see him. Instead you dragged her to the house with you, where she went to work, healing not just Donny but Sarah and Tony too. A normal person wouldn't have done that Jethro. They'd have waited for you to focus on Donny and left. She stayed, not just for them, but for you."

"Shannon's right Jethro. That lady in the other room cares very deeply for you. Like you, however she's afraid of getting burned." Ducky wanders in and Gibbs blinks to get rid of the unwanted tears.

"Duck? I--." Gibbs can't continue, as grief overtakes him.

***

Down the hall two young ghosts are just about to enter Master Takezawa's room when the door is opened and Laurie goes running down the hall.

"Damn, that's never a good sign." Ricky sighs as they follow her back to where Gibbs is sleeping.

"Why what's wrong?" Kelly's afraid that after all this time, she might actually have her father in heaven with her and she knows that it wouldn't be right. She's talked to St. Peter and St. Michael and knows that her father isn't expected up there for several more decades.

"Mom only runs when it's necessary. Like an emergency."

They both pick up the pace as they follow Laurie. The blonde doesn't waste time as she opens the door and sits on the bed, pulling the grieving man into her arms. Her mental figure darts through his rapidly closing mental door and she skids to a halt as she sees Shannon Gibbs and Donald "Ducky" Mallard.

"Laurie?"

"I'm here, Jethro, I'm here."

"I can see them but I can't touch them. I can hear them but nothing's there."

"You're not going insane. You just have a few loving friends and family who wanted to see, and I'm guessing, talk to you. More than likely about us." Laurie dares the others to try lying to her. "Well, what happened?"

Ducky starts to say something when he's interrupted by Ricky. "We just wanted you two to take a chance with each other, that's all."

Kelly comes out from behind Ricky's back. "We worry about you, Daddy. We want you to be happy."

Laurie knows that all Gibbs wants right now is to be able to hold his family one more time. Ricky looks at her silently asking if she wants his help to solidify Kelly and Shannon. At her equally subtle nod, the mother and son pair clasp hands. Ducky knows immediately what they are attempting to do and places his ghostly hands on theirs.

For the first time in over 20 years, Leroy Jethro Gibbs hugs his wife and daughter.

***

Ducky smiles as his best friend hugs his family. Tears are running unchecked down Gibbs face as he holds his beloved Shannon and Kelly to him. Questions run through the former Marines mind and are just as quickly shoved aside.

Minutes pass and Ducky can tell that the exertion of keeping Shannon and Kelly solid is starting to tax the energies of both Laurie and Ricky. He can feel the energy draining out of his own form and knows that he has to be the one to break the chain. He takes his hands off the joined hands that belong to Laurie and Ricky.

The young ghost reluctantly releases his mother's hands, relishing the touch that has so long been denied him. Laurie smiles sadly as her son's hands slowly leave hers. They embrace one last time and whisper their goodbyes.

Gibbs makes one frantic attempt to keep Shannon and Kelly in his embrace. Shannon gives him one last hug, telling him to trust this new woman in his life, as he'd trusted Shannon. "She'll be good for you Gibbs. Trust me in this if you won't trust yourself."

Kelly puts her two cents worth in as she whispers in her dad's ear, "I like her Daddy, she can make you happy if you let her."

The two Gibbs women stand aside to let Ducky have one last conversation with Gibbs.

"Damnit, Duck, it's not fair."

"Life is seldom fair Jethro, you know that. Look at it this way; you have a chance, a real chance to be happy again. This young lady may not look like Shannon, or have red hair, but she's got a good heart. Give her and yourself a chance my friend. You may not get another one."

With that last piece of advice, Ducky, Shannon and Kelly give Gibbs three ghostly hugs and fade away.

***

A/N: slightly longish chapter, but I wanted the ghosts to have their say before we go back to the actual story.


	37. Chapter 35 Gibbs Chapter 11

Knights of the NCIS Table—Gibbs Chapter 11

With the departure of the ghosts, Laurie and Gibbs finally succumb to sleep. Gibbs wakes up early the next morning, feeling an unfamiliar heartbeat next to his own. A quick glance shows him Laurie's purple clad form. Her blonde hair is still braided and he wonders how she can sleep with her hair bound like that.

He runs a hand down her back, feeling the muscles underneath the uniform. Her left hand is lying on his chest and he picks it up to study her palm. Aside from the normal calluses he expects to see, there's a small scar in the center. He lightly traces the scar and her fingers contract around his.

"That tickles."

Her eyes open and she looks up at him. Concern for his well-being is there along with the knowledge of what they had gone through the night before. He lightly caresses her face, silently thanking her for her part in his being able to hold Shannon and Kelly again. She sighs and closes her eyes again, relishing the closeness, knowing that it might not last.

A knock at the door brings her attention back to the reason they're in Japan. She bows her head against Jethro's chest, laughing at the irony of the whole situation.

"Miss Laurie, Master Joe says that breakfast is ready."

"Thank you; please tell Master Joe that we'll be right there."

"Yes, ma'am."

Gibbs rises from the bed, extends a hand to her. She accepts it and he helps her to her feet.

"I didn't think you had any servants."

"We don't, that was probably one of the students. Part of their chores include making breakfast, and informing guests when meals are ready. We have a time table here just like we did when we were in the military."

"So eat now or go hungry until noon?" he asks as he shrugs into a clean shirt; she's already changed into another uniform, this one a light grey.

"No, but you have to put up with cold oatmeal and warm applesauce." The tone of her voice tells him that she's actually serious about the dishes.

"Yummy." The droll tone brings a smile to her face and she leads him back to the kitchen.

Joe walks over to them from the black belt's assigned table. Gibbs has to admit that he'd worried the other man might have feelings for the woman he's with, but the younger man is clearly seeing Laurie as a sister, nothing more.

"Hey, I talked to Tanaka; he said you had a restless night, you two alright?" Tanaka is Master Takezawa's personal physician and had been there when Laurie had left not just once but twice. The fact that she hadn't come back the second time, had worried the elderly physician.

Laurie just nods and says, "We had a few celestial visitors that neither one of us was expecting. It was a good visit all in all, just unexpected."

Joe nods and goes back to the other black belts. Laurie and Gibbs grab their breakfast trays and sit down. Gibbs has to admit that they make a fairly decent cup of coffee and asks Laurie about it. Laurie grins as she remembers asking Takezawa that same question.

"According to father, it was all his wife's fault. She was from the U.S. originally and the one thing she insisted on bringing with her was her coffee."

"You mentioned earlier that she is buried on U.S. soil. Will he be buried here or back there?"

"That's what I have to find out today." Her voice is low, and he knows that it's not a topic she wants to discuss. He reaches across the table and puts his hand over hers. She looks up at him tears in her eyes. That's when he realizes that she knows she can't save Takezawa. She's known it since their admittance to the master's chambers.

"Care to show me around a bit?"

She nods, knowing that he's doing his best to take her mind off of Takezawa's impending death. They walk outside and Gibbs takes a deep breath. The air is fresh, and clean with the recent rains. Laurie takes him to the far right corner and Gibbs indrawn breath whooshes out of him at the floral garden that opens up in front of them.

"Wow, it's beautiful." He watches as a butterfly drifts by on the faint breeze. He can almost touch the insect's wings, it passes so close. There are benches laid out in several different areas of the garden. As they go farther in, the flowers gradually fade and are replaces by various bushes that graduate into their taller tree cousins.

She leads him across a small path of stepping stones. When he looks down, they've crossed a small stream, and are in the deepest part of the garden. There is a small bench here too and Laurie sits down, waiting for Gibbs to comment.

As the peace and serenity surrounds him, Gibbs takes a moment to look down at his companion. She is completely relaxed, her eyes closed and her hands resting loosely by her sides. She's crossed her ankles and let her head rest against the back of the bench.

At first glance she appears to be asleep. Gibbs knows that she isn't; her left hand is slowly clenching and unclenching, the only sign of her worry.

He slowly sits down beside her, taking her left hand in his and lacing his fingers with hers. They say nothing as they watch the sun rise higher in the morning sky. Gibbs looks at their entwined hands, and for the first time, in any relationship, he doesn't feel like he's cheating on Shannon.

"You okay, you didn't eat much at breakfast." They'd left shortly after they'd gotten their trays. He knew he'd be okay, after all he had his coffee, but she hadn't touched anything.

"Lost my appetite."

"Tell me about him?" He's not sure if she'll respond when she doesn't answer right away. Silent tears are running down her cheeks and he gently brushes them away with his thumb. She takes a deep breath and bursts into loud sobs. Gibbs pulls her into his arms, letting her cry, knowing that she needs the release.

He holds her for several minutes after her body stops shaking, she sniffles once, twice and he hands her a clean handkerchief. She thanks him as she wipes her eyes and blows her nose. Before he can respond, they hear the rustling of leaves as someone comes towards them.

A black clad form is making its way towards them, not bothering to hide its presence. That tells them that whoever it is, is actively seeking them out, letting them know he is coming. Laurie can tell that the ninja is a trainee by the fact that he's wearing black. All their graduate students wear colors after finishing their training.

"Miss Laurie, the Master is requesting your presence."

***

A/N: Yeah, I know, I'm a nasty person to leave you hanging…lol. Hey at least you got two chapters out of me today. Heheheh.


	38. Chapter 36 Gibbs Chapter 12

Knights of the NCIS Table—Gibbs Chapter 12

"Miss Laurie, the Master is requesting your presence."

***

Laurie goes from a sobbing, almost inert body to fully alert soldier in two seconds flat. Gibbs finds himself teleported into Master Takezawa's room and almost dragged to the ailing man's side. The old man on the bed smiles weakly when Laurie appears with Gibbs in tow.

Takezawa motions the couple closer and they sit on the side of the bed. Takezawa reaches out to Gibbs, who sees the shaking in the other man's hand and meets him halfway. Takezawa then drags Gibbs hand to Laurie's and puts his own hand over both of theirs.

"Take…care…of...my…daughter." The old man's breathing gets more strained as he gazes into the eyes of the only woman he'd given his heart to after his wife died. His daughter who had stayed true, not just to him and his beliefs, but to his compound even during her exile.

"Be…happy…my…child."

Laurie watches numbly as Takezawa encloses her hand and Gibbs in both of his wrinkled ones. He chants softly in Japanese and then in Okinawan. Startled, Laurie looks at Gibbs, doubting that he knows that Takezawa is reciting a marriage ceremony. She starts to say something but Gibbs subtly shakes his head, letting her know that he's okay with what is going on.

She tries again to get Gibbs attention, but he just puts a finger on her lips and the old man on the bed smiles as he finishes his chanting. His daughter might not have been married when she arrived, and according to most Westerners, she still won't be. In his eyes however, due to the small chanting, she's now bound to the man by her side.

Gibbs on the other hand does know what was being said. As a former marine, he's traveled to enough countries and witnessed several marriage ceremonies. He knows that the one being chanted isn't legally binding. It's just a way to make an old dying man happy.

"You…may…kiss…the…bride."

Laurie blushes a soft shade of pink and Gibbs gently turns her to face him. He brushes the hair out of her eyes and leans in for their first kiss. He can't help but think of all the times he's tried kissing her and now he's doing so in front of her dying father. The irony of it does not escape him. As their lips meet, both Gibbs and Laurie wonder why it took them so long to get this far.

A self-satisfied sigh emanates from the lips of the dying man, bringing their gazes back to him. Takezawa is pleased by the way Gibbs treats Laurie. He's had reports from all of the students since the two arrived. He knows that Laurie cares deeply for Gibbs or she wouldn't have immediately sensed his imminent danger the night before.

As for the daughter of his heart, he knows that it's because of the exile he'd put her through that she was able to find the man by her side. At the same time, he regrets not letting her come home sooner. She's proven her innocence many times over the years. The ceremony was just his way of letting her know that he approves her choice of mate.

"You…may…explain…to…him." Takezawa is giving her permission to tell Gibbs why she hasn't been home for over 10 years.

"Now, or would you prefer I wait?" She's asking permission to tell before he passes away.

"Now. Let him …know of… your honor, your…courage." He looks at Gibbs and gives him one of those dad to son-in-law looks. The one that says, hold her, protect her, and love her.

Gibbs nods and shifts on the bed so that he can pull her into his arms. She's startled at first by the action, but soon relaxes into his embrace. Takezawa smiles at the picture they make and mentally tells Joe to make sure he gets a picture. Joe agrees and goes off to find a camera.

"Many years ago, and by that I mean almost 30, my father asked me not to journey outside the compound. There had been several murders in the area and he was trying to protect me. The problem is that I can't always control when my powers tell me to help someone."

"Like last night." He's referring to the speed in which she'd entered his mind. She nods and takes his hand, has him caress the scar on her left hand. He knows he's going to find out just how she received that scar.

"I told you that before the war I wasn't a ranked N/S, but that afterwards I ended up ranking 6th in the world. About two years before the war started, the founding compounds decided to hold what they called a round robin tournament. The top students from all the compounds could come and learn about each others compounds during the two week exercise.

"It was the same time as the murders. Father vetoed my going at first, but one of the other compound masters asked if I could come and help in the healing tents. Just before I was supposed to leave, this compound came under attack. We managed to survive but not before one of the assailants had thrown a burning brand. I managed to intercept it before it connected."

Gibbs exchanges glances with Takezawa and realizes the brand had been meant for the master, not the student. Takezawa gives him a slight nod, confirming his belief. Gibbs caresses the scar, knowing now that it had come at a terrible price.

She left without telling anyone of her injury. She grabbed some ice to cool it down, and teleported to the Yamaguchi Compound. She changed route mid-teleport; ended up in the Stormwind Compound. She healed the youngest son, who had been severely wounded and headed once again for her destination.

"Did you know he'd been wounded?"

She shakes her head and continues. After the round robin was over, she went home and told her master all that had occurred, unintentionally leaving out the stopover at the Stormwind Compound.

"They came over to thank you and you had no idea what they were talking about."

She nods and looks at her father/master. The old man's eyes are glistening with tears as her story unfolds. At first he believed her; that she hadn't known about healing the youngest Stormwind. After all, she'd been caught up in the excitement of the round robin tournament.

"Then came the ranking tournament. It took place only six months after the round robin. Once again, I was excited about participating and once again, I was denied."

The murders hadn't stopped and fear was starting to grip all of the compounds. The murderers were targeting only female students and that was her master's arguing point. She'd acquiesced and consoled herself with being to participate in the next tournament.

Again, the tournament directors had asked for her assistance in the healing. Master Takezawa had reluctantly given his approval, on the condition that she not reveal her compound status. The murdered students had all been wearing colored uniforms, with compound designation on them.

She'd managed to stay with the healers during most of the tournament. Then came the top ten and she'd been unable to stay away. She'd made several friends at the round robin and all of them were in the top ten.

It was coming down to the final three when it happened. The tug to help someone in need. She teleported without realizing what she was doing. She arrived in time to see the attacker leave; she hadn't been in time to save an aging master.

"Dawes felt him dying and was unable to leave the tournament or she'd have lost any rank she'd already gained. I stayed with him until he passed." She'd also taken an oath to protect the only daughter of the Miyagi Compound and swore not to tell anyone she'd done so. Not even her own beloved father and master.

Ten years ago, she'd finally told Dawes about her part in the war. Why she'd taken part in the forming of MB-1, and why she'd fought so hard to keep her commanding officer alive. Dawes had stared at her in shock and then cuffed her alongside the head. She rubs her head in remembrance.

"She didn't hit as hard as you can, but hers had a touch of heat in it." She smiles at the memory. Dawes had then insisted that they go and tell Master Takezawa what has been going on. Laurie had protested but Dawes was insistent.

**

"One of the few times she listened to me when I should have been listening to her." The speaker is female with golden brown, waist length hair. At her side is a mountain of a man, who easily stands 6'5". He gives her a hug as they continue to listen to the story.

***

They'd come to the compound and been granted entrance. Once inside, Dawes had thanked Master Takezawa for his daughter's protection. Takezawa had stared at them both and said nothing. Instead he'd turned and told Joe to inform their guests that his daughter is not to return to this compound until she is invited.

"Joe told me later that one of the other students had betrayed Master Takezawa and been found out just days before we arrived. It was the straw that broke the camel's back."

Even then she doesn't reveal who the real traitor was. She doesn't elaborate on what was said. As far as she is concerned, she's home now and the past is water under the bridge. Takezawa's eyes shine with tears of pride and joy. He reaches out and touches Gibbs and Laurie's linked hands.

"Sorry…love…you."

"I love you too, father." As she leans down to kiss his cheek, he breathes his last breath with a smile.

***

A/N: Awww…will explain the unknown couple in next chapter.


	39. Chapter 37 Gibbs Chapter 13

Knights of the NCIS Table—Gibbs Chapter 13

"I love you too, father." As she leans down to kiss his cheek, he breathes his last breath with a smile.

***

Laurie brushes a tear away as her father smiles at her for the last time. The short time she has had with him is small consolation for the years spent apart. She can feel Gibbs as he continues holding her. His slow and easy breathing is a living reminder of what she still has.

"You all right?" The question reminds her of the dead man's form on the bed beside them.

"No, but she will be." The voice isn't familiar to Gibbs who stiffens slightly and tightens his embrace. Laurie knows the female immediately and smiles through her tears.

"Dawes, I should have known you'd be here."

Tabitha Norris, formerly known as Dawes and her husband Tom walk into the room. They'd been listening in the hallway, waiting for a chance to make their presence known. When Gibbs looks them over he sees a blue clad female almost as tall as the woman in his lap, maybe an inch or two shorter. The dark haired, dark eyed warrior standing behind her is much taller and built like the proverbial "brick shit house."

Laurie extricates herself from Gibbs embrace and walks over to where her former C.O. is standing. Tom eases further into the room and extends his hand to Gibbs who shakes it.

"Tom Stormwind, they," he nods at the two women, "call me Stormy."

"Jethro Gibbs. Most people call me Gibbs, nice to meet you."

Gibbs watches as Tom brings forth a small dish of water and gently brushes the dead man's lips with it. He tells Gibbs that before they entered the house, he and Dawes had closed up the small shrine that was in the middle of the flower garden to keep out the impure spirits.

Dawes gives Laurie a hug then hands her over to Gibbs. Dawes steps out into the hall, brings in a small table and together, she and Tom place a small vase of flowers, some incense and a candle on the table. Tom then walks over to Laurie and asks if she has a preference of knife to rest on Takezawa's chest (to keep the evil spirits away). To nobody's surprise, Laurie hands over the knife at her waist.

They all exit the room and head towards the dining hall. Joe has already called the few students together, letting them know about the master's death and to tell them that if they wish to continue learning at the compound they are more than welcome to do so.

One of the students who hasn't been there for long asks, "Will the master's son take over our training?"

Dead silence fills the room. Gibbs isn't sure what is going on until he remembers there had been a traitor. One that had betrayed the master's trust. He looks to Laurie for confirmation and for the first time since he's met her, she's wearing what he calls a poker face.

No emotion, nothing is showing in those expressive eyes of hers. He looks at the others in the room. Dawes is looking at the floor and Tom has the same confused look in his eyes that Gibbs is feeling.

The silence is broken by Laurie as she states in a matter of fact tone that "the master's son passed away several years previously. Joe will be the new compound master. If any of you have a problem with that we will give you references and you may apply to another compound to complete your training.

"For the next two weeks, the compound will close so that the few remaining family members may be contacted and pay their last respects to Master Takezawa."

"Will the compound be closing?

Laurie smiles and shakes her head no. "The only closing will be for the duration of the funeral. The compound will reopen two weeks from today for those who wish to continue their training. If any of you wish to pay your respects to the Master, you may do so at this time."

Some of the students start to protest until Joe stands up. "It is the Master's wish that only family be allowed after today. He has left specific instructions for Miss Laurie and me; the first is that you all be allowed to say goodbye. The second is that we close the compound for two weeks after which time we will reopen and start training again."

The students all nod and file past to say their goodbyes to Master Takezawa before leaving for their homes. Several of them are muttering as they leave and Gibbs wonders just how many will actually be coming back.

The student, who had asked about Takezawa's son, stops in front of Laurie before going to pay his respects. "Did I say something wrong, Miss Laurie?"

"No Steven, you didn't know that the master had lost his son, so there is nothing that you did wrong."

"Umm…I don't have a home to go back to, where shall I stay?"

Tom steps forward and tells him that he can come back to the Stormwind Compound if he so chooses. Steven smiles his gratitude and heads down the hall. Minutes later, Gibbs and the others hear the sound of students leaving. Joe goes down the hall to verify all the students have gone and to pay his own respects to Takezawa.

Gibbs looks around for Laurie. Dawes points wordlessly to the kitchens and Gibbs heads inside. Laurie's poking indifferently at some poor hunk of meat. He watches silently as she pours several different sauces over it, covers it and returns it to the fridge. She then pulls a bag of potatoes out of the pantry and starts peeling them. She covers the peeled potatoes with salted water and looks around for her next target.

Dawes steps around Gibbs and puts an arm around the other female, leading her back out to the dining room.

"Stormy, call the Guys in. She's gonna need'em."

Tom says nothing just nods and heads outside. Within minutes, there's the sound of men's voices. Nine men of all shapes and sizes come into view. Dawes counts heads and calls out mentally, *"Mo, Cat, Kitter, we need you guys too. Takey's compound, main courtyard. Rick quit moping and get your ass over here."*

Tom gives a silent chuckle at his brother's summons. Rick has tried for years to get Laurie to see him as something other than a good friend. Personally he thinks that the blonde might have accepted if Rick hadn't tried to make her give up the SEALs.

As it is, the man beside her now is a lot more accepting of what makes up Laurie Fields. Gibbs has taken all of the N/S in stride so far, and even now is shaking hands with the former men and women of Dawes' Guys. Laurie leaves the room and only two men see her go, Tom due to his height and Gibbs.

Gibbs waits for a full minute before he follows her out to the gardens. He knows immediately where she's heading; the same grove she'd taken him to earlier. He says nothing just sits beside her for a second before pulling her into his embrace. She doesn't cry; just sits there content to let him hold her.

Tom looks at Dawes who's finding the floor mighty interesting. "We have a story that needs spilled so spill it Hotstuff."

"I can't, she swore me to secrecy years ago."

"You let a junior officer swear you to secrecy?" Mo is slightly surprised that the fiery tempered woman would let the blonde do something like that.

"No, I let our friend swear me to secrecy." She gives them all a slight glare to emphasize her point.

Joe comes in from the kitchen, hears the conversation and sighs, knowing that it's time someone told the story of how the master lost his son and his daughter all in the same week. He mentally tells Laurie that if she wants Gibbs to know the truth, she needs to send the other man inside.

Gibbs can tell when she gets the message as a deep sigh resonates throughout her trim body. He gives her a hug telling her, "I take it that means story time is starting. We don't have to go in. I can make my own conclusions just based on what was said in the old man's room."

She shakes her head as she carefully extricates herself from his embrace, "No, Joe only knows part of the story. If we're going to tell it, it needs to be told in its entirety."

Gibbs knows now why the old man was so proud of this woman. He was proud of her too and he wasn't entirely sure why. He gets to his feet and takes her hand as they walk back into the dining room together.

***

A/N: And so another chapter comes to an end…and the story will too eventually.


	40. Chapter 38 Gibbs Chapter 14

Knights of the NCIS Table—Gibbs Chapter 14

Gibbs knows now why the old man was so proud of this woman. He was proud of her too and he wasn't entirely sure why. He gets to his feet and takes her hand as they walk back into the dining room together.

***

More than nine jaws drop when Laurie walks back into the room holding Gibbs' hand. Mo, Cat, Kitter and Rick all stop what they were doing to stare at their former teammate. Laurie walks over to Brian "Mo" Morrison and gently puts a finger under his chin, prompting him to close his mouth.

Since the room is already quiet, she doesn't have to whistle to get their attention.

"Joe will start the story while I finish up supper. I will finish the story. This story goes no further than this room and these people, am I understood?"

"Copy that, boss." Gibbs is the one who says it and it's echoed by the others in the room.

"Good, Jethro I advise you to stay out here to hear the whole story." She hands him a fresh cup of coffee before saying, "Tabby can you come help me please?"

Once again jaws drop and Gibbs hides his smirk behind the coffee cup, obviously the lady has shown a side tonight that these men and women have seldom if ever seen. He makes sure to take a seat on a table where he can see the kitchen window.

"Jethro, off the table please." He does chuckle at that remark. He sits on the nearest chair and Gibbs soon finds himself surrounded by N/S and Dawes Guys.

"Hey, it's story time not interrogation time. Or do I start throwing skillets?" Gibbs is slightly confused by the immediate dispersal and files away the skillet remark for future use.

Joe stands up and starts explaining what had happened all those years ago. By the time he's finished most of the guys are either pacing or staring off into the gardens. The mysterious murderer had been at this compound the entire time. No one had suspected the master's son. There was no reason to.

"Until the night of the assassination attempt." Gibbs finally knows what she'd seen that night; who she'd defended the master against.

"They'd had no proof, until that night, that it was him. The authorities never found a weapon, linking him to the murders." Laurie's tone is matter of fact.

"The brand?" Gibbs's thinking of the scar on her hand, how the tissues had formed that particular shape.

Joe looks at Laurie who nods. Joe brings forth a branding iron, shaped like a heart with a jagged line through it. Gibbs takes in a deep breath at the thought of that touching young Laurie's flesh.

Mo and Rick both inhale too. Rick had been the recipient of the impromptu healing at the Stormwind Compound. The attack had been a diversion, but Rick had still gotten seriously injured and would have died if Laurie hadn't intervened. She'd forgone her own injury to save him.

Mo remembers cussing her out when she arrived two hours after she was supposed to. She hadn't said a word as he assigned her a room, the only one that was left, next to his own. He remembers hearing slight whimpers and how disgusted he'd been that such a crybaby had to participate. When she'd told him she was only there as a healer, he'd been ecstatic, and ignored her the rest of the time she'd been there.

"Back then we only had four people who knew where the branding iron was: myself, Joe, Master Takezawa and his son."

Aside from the brand though, there was still no proof that the son was the killer. Until the last mission she'd taken part in as a member of Dawes Guys.

That was the mission during which Rick told her to stop being a warrior and start being a homebody. The mission during which she'd thrown herself between Rick and yet another brand. The one in which they'd been captured for six weeks, and unable to tell anyone due to the psionic dampeners.

That mission was the one in which she killed Hiroshi Takezawa when he'd tried to rape her. It was the one where she'd had to tell her father, his only son was a murderer and she'd killed him while defending herself. It was the one that got her thrown into exile.

Cat and Kitter are staring at her in disbelief. The twin sisters had been in Okinawa at the time, Kitter attending Cat's wounds, helping her regain her strength after being held captive for almost four years during the war.

The men that make up Dawes' Guys know about the mission. They'd been there when Rick and Laurie were finally rescued. They hadn't known, however that Laurie had been exiled due to the extenuating circumstances.

Dawes comes over and hugs her former cook/medic. "She knelt before him, and after she brought in the body, handed him Hiroshi's katana and told him the facts... The facts were conclusive. When his room was searched, they found the evidence they needed to prove Hiroshi was the culprit. Her final piece of evidence was on her back and her palm. Even now, years later the heart remains. Takey forbade her to tell anyone what had happened. Swore her to secrecy, and made her promise to never tell anyone what had happened. He then exiled her."

Rhett Shuman, the former Green Beret still called Taz(manian Devil) due to the speed in which he travels, speaks up. "How do you know all this, Dawes."

"Because, I helped her bring Hiroshi's body back. She wouldn't let me fry his ass or anything else. She insisted that she take his body back to his father. So we did. Six hours after we rescued them, we were in the anteroom waiting for admittance."

Cookie finishes the meal she's prepared and has them all come eat. Steaks, mashed potatoes, brown gravy, mixed vegetables and rice for those who prefer it. Gibbs stares at the meal in front of him, knowing somehow that the steak will be a perfect medium rare, and that the bottle in front of him is a real beer.

He looks at Steven "Cowboy" Laramie and shakes his head in wonder. Cowboy just laughs at the expression on Gibbs face. "She gotcha wondering how she does it? We just accept it as part and parcel of who Cookie is."

"Cookie?" he hadn't been told her nickname until now, but he realizes that it fits her to a T.

"Mmm, best damn cook/medic in the war and she knew it too. Not that she bragged about it, that's not her way. She just showed up, did her job and let you wonder."

"Still does."

"Maybe, but she let you close enough to put a ring on her finger. She wouldn't let any of us that close."

"Her father was dying."

Cowboy snorts in his beer. "Yeah, like that's gonna make her jump into a wedding ceremony! We tried that for almost five years and it didn't happen. She trusts you man, don't lose that."

Gibbs says nothing as he finishes eating. He notices that Laurie stays in the kitchen until the very end, not bringing her plate out until the others are almost done. As he thinks back on the times she's cooked for Tony and his family, he realizes that she never waited to eat with them.

Brett "the Kid" Lawrence sits down on Gibbs left. "Don't let her manners today confuse you. She's in what I call battle mode. She's letting the troops eat and then she will, that way if she gets sick no one else will see her."

"She do that often?"

"Not really, you have to understand, she couldn't leave the camp like we could. She had no stress relief aside from cooking and poking needles in us. So if one of us got severely injured all she could do is patch us up. There she goes. And there he goes, oh yeah he's hooked." The Kid grins as Gibbs heads into the kitchen, following Laurie and closes the door behind them.

The Kid looks at the others who are all staring at him, "What? I just said that she might not be feeling well."

The others shake their heads imagining what the real conversation was like.

***

"Hey, you okay?"

"I'm fine, Jethro, just a little wrung out with all the drama today."

"The Kid said you might be sick."

She smiles at her tough old marine falling for one of The Kid's well-meaning jokes. "He wanted you to follow me. They're protective of me and wanted to see if you'd measure up."

He stares at her stunned that he fallen for the younger man's trick. He hasn't had anyone try a stunt like this on him in simply ages. After all, he's so used to DiNozzo's little tricks he hadn't thought someone else might try something.

She comes closer, loops her arms around his neck and kisses him. "Just be glad it wasn't Josher. His jokes last for days."

He settles back against the counter cradling her against him, "If this is my reward, I'm game."

***

A/N: almost done with this one folks…yay!


	41. Chapter 39 Gibbs Chapter 15

Knights of the NCIS Table—Gibbs Chapter 15

***

Joe looks at the others and grins, "You realize that they don't have to get a room now, don't you?"

The kitchen with doors shut and window closed is completely shut off from prying eyes. Several hands reach out and smack the Kid upside the head. "Hey, not my fault she went back in there."

Mo looks at Dawes and asks just why they were brought in. She takes a deep breath before saying, "I thought it would be nice if we helped her with Takey's funeral arrangements, the wake, etcetera."

The door to the kitchen opens and Gibbs steps out carrying an unconscious Laurie. Jack "Mad Dog Mike" Callihan, the team's back up medic, steps closer to see what's wrong.

"What happened?"

"She fainted."

"She pregnant?"

Gibbs glares at him, and the younger man backs down. Gibbs lays her down on a quickly cleared table. Mad Dog checks her pulse and finds out it's a little slow.

"She eat much today?"

Gibbs shakes his head, "Not much of anything. I was hoping she'd at least eat supper as she skipped breakfast."

The guys all look at each other, none of them recall seeing her actually eat anything, just push her food around before heading back into the kitchen. Mad Dog asks Joe if they have any orange juice in the kitchen. Joe comes back with a glass full of the fruity beverage.

Gibbs looks around and grabs the first thing he sees: Dawes' drinking flask. He opens it, and smells it, almost gagging at the aromatic brew before waving it under Laurie's nose.

"Eww, god, Dawes I thought I told you never to use that on me."

The men all chuckle at the protest. Of all the women, she's the one who despises the smell and taste of sake. Laurie sees the full glass of orange juice and starts sipping at it.

She peers up at Gibbs, knowing she had to have scared him.

"You gonna be okay, Jethro?" Gibbs is stunned. She's the one who fainted and she's worried about him. She keeps sipping her juice, trying hard not to cry. It's difficult, being around this group, all of whom care about her.

Hawk, Cowboy, Mad Dog, Magnum, Blue Eyes, Warrior, Josher, Taz and the Kid are the nine men who made up Dawes Guys. Mo, Cat, Kitter to a lesser extent, Rick and Stormy were all part of the advisory board. Giz hasn't been seen since her marriage to Stormy's top black belt almost 25 years ago. That just leaves Laurie the last one allowed into this tight circle of friends.

Mad Dog gives Dawes a high sign and she tells Gibbs to take Laurie to their room.

"You rest and start eating. We'll take care of everything else, you got that?"

Laurie nods still clutching the orange juice. Gibbs leans in and picks her up. He takes her to their room and sits her on the bed. She watches him with wide eyes as he strips down to his skivvies and then joins her on the bed. He looks at the uniform wondering how to remove it.

"Touch the seams, here and here."

He looks on in amazement as the uniform peels off in one easy movement. When she leans forward to lay it down, he sees the scarring on her back. Scarring not just from the branding iron but from knife cuts and smaller, oval shaped like from a ring.

"Sweet Jesus, how did you survive?"

"Mo and Cat survived four years of torture way worse than this. I just retreated to a far corner of my mind and waited for him to screw up."

He's caressing her back and she lays fully on her stomach to give him better access. He looks at her braid, remembering the knives he'd seen Dawes play with earlier.

"Relax Jethro, I'm not the crazy ninja chick that she is. I'm the crazier one but don't tell her that."

"Will you let me take it down?" he realizes that in the entire time he's known her, he's never seen her with her hair down. She nods and tells him that there's a brush in the bathroom. He presses a kiss on her shoulder as he heads into the bathroom.

When he comes back out, she's sitting up, downing the last of the juice.

"Before I let you do this, I need to let you know that I'm trusting you with my life."

He frowns slightly, not quite sure what she's getting at.

"I only let people I trust, those I know to have my back, do this. It …for lack of a better word, it puts me to sleep."

"None of the others know?"

"Only Joe knows and he's the one who found out, when we were kids."

That's the bond he senses. The trust between two friends who've had each others backs for years. He nods his acceptance of what she's saying and she slowly starts combing out her braid. He scoots around behind her on the bed.

"How long has your hair been this color?" he can tell she's never had it chemically altered.

"Since I was six."

"That's a long time to be white haired."

"Made it easier to get into places sometimes." She grins at him as she takes out the last of the braid. He smiles back and slowly starts running the brush through her hair. It dawns on him as he's sitting there, brushing the white locks of hair that Shannon had never asked him to do this. Not once in all their years of marriage did he brush Shannon's hair.

He'd brushed Kelly's on the few occasions that she'd let him, and of course when she'd been an infant. But he's never been asked to do this by any other adult female. He gently strokes the brush down and without meaning to, brushes against the scar on her back.

Her quickly indrawn hiss of breath tells him that he'd inadvertently hurt her and he starts to apologize when he sees the look in her eyes. She knows he didn't mean it, and some part of her probably forgot that no one has brushed her hair out since the scars were inflicted.

"Longer than that, my husband was the last one to brush my hair out. Just before he was deployed."

"No one else brushes it? How do you manage not to put yourself to sleep then?"

"It's a weird thing as when I brush it nothing happens. Only when I allow someone else to brush it does it affect me."

"And then only those you trust?"

She nods sleepily, "Mmm…like I'm gonna hand my brush over to my enemy. Please kill me sooner." Her sleepy sarcasm is met with a light slap to the head.

"I think I figured it out Gibbs. *yawn* those are really love taps. You're *yawn* engaging in foreplay and seeing if anyone responds."

Her sleepy smirk is met with a loud burst of laughter as he thinks about what she's said.

"You are a goof, Commander."

"Mmm, you wuvs me anyways."

He smiles at the sleepy vision in front of him as he keeps a steady rhythm with the brush. Two minutes later and she's completely relaxed, sleeping peacefully in his arms. He finishes brushing out her hair and as he places the brush on the table, turns out the small lamp.

***

Out in the main hall, the others are getting things ready for Takezawa's funeral. Mo and Cat, Kitter and Rick join Dawes and Tom at the main table. Mo looks at his best friends and asks Dawes, "What in the hell is going on? I've never seen her that stressed out, not even when we were in the war."

Dawes reply isn't what they want to hear, "I'm not sure, that's why I called you guys in. I could sense she was in the area and so I made Stormy bring me here. That's when we heard Takey saying the wedding ceremony."

Cat pipes up, "what wedding ceremony and who the hell is that guy anyway?"

Stormy looks at Kitter and Mo, the two resident computer geniuses, "His name is Gibbs, Jethro Gibbs. And it was the binding one, the mental, emotional soul binding one. Gibbs only understood part of the ceremony. He might not be too happy to find out he's soul-bound to her."

Joe steps closer with several cups on a tray and two bottles of sake. "It might not be that big a deal. They had some ghostly visitors last night. It's part of the reason that she's so weak."

All eyes turn to the top black belt. "Tanaka came to me when Laurie belted out of Takezawa's room a second time. As I rounded the corner, I could see at least two spirits following her. One of them looked like a female Gibbs."

"Poor kid." No one knows who says it.

"The other looked like young Stormwind here." All eyes turn to Rick who shakes his head in denial.

Mo thinks for a minute. "Laurie said once that when she finally saw Rick without his mask, she almost fainted because he looked like her dead husband. It's possible that it was him, or their son."

The others nod in agreement. Kitter asks Joe about his computer and he shows her his laptop. She grins when she sees it, the newest in top of the line technology. Yeah, she knows who made sure this was here. She quickly inserts Gibbs name and whistles when she pulls up his record.

Two minutes later she's pulling up Laurie's latest personnel file and her eyes widen as she realizes just what their friend has been going through.

"Oh my God, guys, this is bad." She turns the screen around and heads for Hawk. She sits in his lap not caring what the others think and pulls his arms around her. None of the N/S are prepared for the information on the screen.

***

Dun, dun, dun…yep I'm leaving it there…mwaahahahahahah...for those who are interested, Dawes Guys are a unit in a set of stories that my best friends and I have been working on for many years now. I apologize for the past chapters, that may have been confusing due to lack of explanations. Laurie was a crucial part of that unit, and now they are here to help her out during this extremely difficult time.


	42. Chapter 40 Gibbs Chapter 16

Knights of the NCIS Table—Gibbs Chapter 16

_"Oh my God, guys, this is bad." Kitter turns the screen around and heads for Hawk. She sits in his lap not caring what the others think and pulls his arms around her. None of the N/S are prepared for the information on the screen._

***

Tom looks at Dawes, mentally asking her if she's been told any of the information on the screen. At the slow shake of her head, he turns to Mo and Cat. Mo is already contacting some of his former comrades in the SEALs and he gives a sad nod when they confirm the death of Charlie Cutter.

Cat calls in a few favors and gets the specs on what happened in Hawaii. She turns to Dawes when she's finished and Dawes takes an instinctive step back when she sees the anger in the shorter woman's gun-metal gray eyes.

"Twenty minutes, that's how long she was stateside before they pulled her to Hawaii. Were they trying to kill her off too?"

Rick can feel the tension building and knows that if they don't do something soon, Laurie will be back in the room demanding to know what's wrong. Together, he, Tom and Brian put a psionic bubble around the room, after sending two of the other guys out to watch Laurie's door.

***

Gibbs wakes up slowly, not immediately sure what woke him. The warm body by his side assures him that Laurie is still there. He eases out of bed and into the restroom, taking a quick shower. Coming back out, he sees Laurie starting to wake up, and knows that she's sensing whatever is wrong too.

"Stay here, I'll check it out and be right back." His tone brooks no refusal and her eyes pop open. He shakes his head at her stubbornness and tells her to shower first if she's coming with him.

"When you come with me, we won't be leaving the bed, much less this room." She says saucily as she enters the bathroom. He snags her hand before the door closes and pulls her close for a kiss.

"I'm holding you to that, Commander." His blue eyes are gleaming with promise as he holds her for a few seconds before swatting her on the ass and shoving her towards the bathroom.

Five minutes later, she's out and her hair is in a wet braid. She cautiously opens the door and quietly starts laughing. Taz and the Kid are stationed outside, making sure none of the others come close.

"Morning fellas, want some breakfast?"

The two men are both startled as they'd been so intent on watching the corridors that they hadn't noticed Laurie opening the door. Taz immediately starts off on one of his tirades.

"Damnit, Cook, how the hell are we supposed to protect you when you sneak up behind us like that. You know damn good and well that --."

Gibbs starts forward, intending to give Taz a piece of his mind when Laurie gives him a subtle nudge and shakes her head. She knows the guys were worried about her, especially after the little fainting episode she pulled the night before. These two are the closest in age to her and while they were the last to accept her, they've been her staunchest supporters ever since.

"Rhett, I'm okay, let me prove it by making breakfast." She puts an arm around the former Green Beret and they head for the kitchens.

**

The Kid looks at Gibbs who is staring in confusion at what just happened. He motions for the older man to walk with him as they follow the other two down the hallway. Taz finally calms down enough to start lightly pulling Laurie's braid, making her retaliate by softly punching him in the arm.

"What just happened here?"

"Love for lack of a better term. That woman in front of us is, in many ways, closer than our sister for those of us who have one. She's the one who threatened us with cold oatmeal and warm applesauce if we messed up her dining hall. She's the one who saved our asses when we came back to camp shot to shit. She's the one who cried over us when we were on deaths' doorstep. She's the one who challenged us to overcome our grief and sense of despair when we lost Cat and Mo. She's --,"

"Your heart and soul." Gibbs says softly.

"Might sound cheesy, but yeah, that's who she is to us. I have to admit all of us were a little shocked that no one knew about her master's death, but she's always been a little closed mouthed when it came to her private life. Of course, the fact that she has a boyfriend was a shocker too."

"Why is that so shocking, she's a beautiful lady."

"Hey I agree with ya, but she never looked at any of us the way she looks at you. And she spent five years with us."

"More than five from the sounds of it."

The Kid smiles at the slightly jealous tone.

"Down boy, she's all yours. Like I said, she's never looked at one of us that way. Not even Mo and he was a SEAL like she is."

"Was, she retired the same day Charlie Cutter was buried."

The Kid stops in his tracks. "What do you mean the day Cutter was buried?"

Gibbs turns and stares at him, "This is the fourth funeral she's planned in less than two weeks. The third one of someone she knew and the second one of a man that she loved like a father. "

"Who were the others?"

"One funeral was for the parents of my youngest agent, Commander McGee and his wife. They were killed the same day as Holly Breaker's parents. That lady there made all the funeral arrangements for both couples, attended both funerals and officiated at Cutter's funeral."

"How she holding up?" Gone is the playful friend, now it's the concerned brother watching his sister.

"Honestly, she's a strong lady. I admit she surprises me with that backbone of hers. I don't know of many who could go through this many funerals and walk around like nothing is wrong."

"Fainting last night, that's not a normal Cookie thing. I've only known her to do it twice in the 20 some odd years I've known her. The first was the first time she met Stormy's brother; apparently Rick looks like her dead husband. The second time, she'd just come out of surgery, having spent over 48 hours working on Cat and Mo. I can't really say that she fainted more like she passed out from sheer exhaustion."

"You always call her Cookie?"

"It's her nickname, she earned it. In a way, it describes her…you know a real tough cookie. Had to be to put up with our lot."

He continues telling Gibbs about the former unit of women haters as they walk into the dining room. Gibbs smiles faintly as he thinks about the night she'd smacked him in the head. Obviously she's had a bit of practice in keeping men in line.

Breakfast passes quickly and Gibbs can tell that although the unit is now defunct, they still care deeply for one another. Someone is always by Laurie's side, talking and joking with her, making sure that she knows she still has a team to fall back on if she wants them. Watching Laurie, he sees the easy camaraderie as she falls back into the team's dynamic. These aren't just friends or co-workers. Like his NCIS team, these guys are family.

A buzzing at his hip reminds him that he hasn't spoken to his own team in several days. He pulls out his cell phone and sighs when he sees the name on the caller i.d.

***

A/N: Awww reality steps back in with the next chapter.


	43. Chapter 41 Gibbs Chapter 17

Knights of the NCIS Table—Gibbs Chapter 17

_A buzzing at his hip reminds him that he hasn't spoken to his own team in several days. He pulls out his cell phone and sighs when he sees the name on the caller i.d. _

"Yeah Gibbs."

"Care to tell me just when you were going to inform me that you were going to Japan, Gibbs?"

"Hadn't planned on telling anyone, Leon. I had a few days off coming to me so I took them…or didn't you get the memo?" Gibbs grins as he can almost hear the ever present toothpick grinding between Vance's teeth.

"Evidently you forgot to send the same memo to Miss Sciuto. She's been calling my office every hour on the hour wanting to know when you are coming back."

"I'll take care of Abbs. Who told you where I was?"

"Somebody named Dawes paid me a visit. I expect a full report when you get back here Gibbs."

"Oh, don't worry Leon, you'll get one." he hangs up and as he looks round the room, nine pairs of eyes are watching him. Laurie has evidently gone back into the kitchen. Hawk gives a sign to the one called Mad Dog who nods briefly and heads back to check on the woman.

"What's up guys?" He knows they are curious about him, and his relationship with Laurie. While he expects to find a little suspicion, he doesn't expect what happens next.

"We want to know what we can do to help Cookie." It's Taz, the youngest of all the guys on the team. Concern is shining in the man's hazel eyes and it's echoed in all of their faces.

"Being here is the biggest help you guys."

"Yeah but why didn't she call us and let us help her sooner?"

Before Gibbs can reply Laurie does, "Because I wasn't thinking about much of anything by the time this occurred." She explains about the events that led up to meeting Gibbs and the NCIS team. The consequential burials and then the telepathic call about her father.

"I was simply overwhelmed by the time I arrived here. I barely had time to say goodbye and he was gone."

They can all see she's getting depressed, so Hawk once again gives a silent nod and this time Taz comes over and drags Laurie to her feet. "Come on, I challenge you to try and beat me in hand to hand."

She smiles at the tactics, knowing they are doing their best to keep her spirits up. "I'm not sure you can handle me, after all you are just a slacker Green Beret and a retired one at that."

Taz puts on his best fake snarl as he growls, "Go get changed pretty girl, we'll see who beats whom."

Laurie looks at her hands, "I don't know, I might break a nail."

The guys laugh when she holds up her hands, they are scuffed and her fingernails need clipped. She leans down to Gibbs, tipping his chin up so that she can capture a kiss on her way out the door. Catcalls and whistles resound throughout the hall and Gibbs can almost feel a blush coming over him.

Hawk and Cowboy sit down on either side of Gibbs and give him the lowdown on their plans to keep the woman in good spirits. Gibbs nods and then frowns when his cell phone buzzes yet again.

"Yeah, Gibbs." he holds the phone away from his ear as the tirade begins.

"Gibbs, Gibbs, Gibbs, when are you coming home Gibbs? You can't just leave me here for days on end without at least a phone call. Is that woman with you, is that why you left for the weekend? You never take a weekend off, Gibbs. And you never leave without telling me first. Well except for that time when you left us and went to Mexico. But that was a long time ago Gibbs and you've never been gone this long."

On and on she goes. Gibbs puts her on speaker phone and lets her rant, knowing that she's concerned, yet he's slightly irritated too. When she finally pauses for breath, he picks up the phone again.

"Abbs, I'll be home as soon as Laurie's business is finished here in Japan. Don't interrupt me Abby, I said, I'll be home soon. Now put DiNozzo on, I know he's hovering beside you."

Abby hands the phone over to Tony who grins at his absent boss. "Hey boss, how's the weather?"

"Calm at the moment. While I'm not expecting Hurricane Dawes to strike anytime soon you never know. Have Tim keep an eye on the weather reports for me. We should be heading out of here in the next few days. Hey DiNozzo, tell my grandson I'm still planning on finishing that story we started."

Tony smiles as he answers, "On it boss."

When he hangs up, he's all seriousness. He tells Abby not to worry, that Gibbs is planning on coming home soon. He then sprints to the elevator, dialing McGee's cell as he goes.

"Yeah, Tony what's up?"

"Calling a campfire as soon as I get there."

McGee looks over at Ziva and tells her what Tony said. They both edge their chairs to Tony's desk, waiting for the senior agent to arrive.

They both look up as Tony exits the elevator. "Just had a cryptic message from Gibbs; Tim he wants to check all records on a person named Dawes, and let him know via text what you find out."

Ziva looks at him confused, "Tony, why do we want to know about this Dawes person?"

"I don't Ziva, Gibbs does. He wants whatever information we can come up with and we have two days to find it. It's something to do with Commander Fields and why he went with her to Japan."

***

Cowboy looks as Gibbs as he hangs up and shakes his head at the older man. "You won't find much. Our missions aren't declassified yet. For the most part, neither are we. Prior to 1980-something, none of us exist."

The warning in his voice tells Gibbs all that he needs to know. These people may be retired black ops, but they were still considered black ops. Cowboy taps Gibbs shoulder and asks him if he wants to watch Taz and Cookie spar. Gibbs is slightly surprised that they weren't just play-acting. Cowboy leads him outside to the fighting arena. This is an area of the compound that Gibbs has yet to see and he's surprised that the entire team of Dawes Guys is there. Even Dawes and Stormy have left the dining hall to watch Laurie take on Taz.

***

As the afternoon passes, tensions once again start rising as everyone knows that the funeral is forthcoming. Per Takezawa's request, there is no wake, making the funeral arrive that much sooner and Laurie asks Dawes if she will take care of the cremation of Takezawa's body. The other woman nods and asks if she has any particular urn she wants the ashes in. Laurie hands her two urns of equal size before leaving the room and Dawes nods in understanding.

"Why two urns?" Gibbs asks no one in particular. Cat looks up from her corner of the room and tells him that Takezawa had requested part of his ashes be scattered over his wife's grave back in the States; the rest would reside in the family grave. Gibbs nods his thanks at her reply and heads outside to find Laurie.

Somehow, he knows that she's in the small garden, her sanctuary as he calls it. Sure enough, she's stretched out on the bench watching the clouds roll by. She turns her head when she hears him approaching, and then goes back to watching the clouds. Gibbs says nothing as he sits on the ground beside her, offering her quiet companionship.

Her hand drifts down to his shoulder; gently squeezes it as she acknowledges his presence. When her hand stays there, he brings his own up to cover it, lightly pressing it to let her know he'll listen when she's ready to talk.

Instead of talking, she swings her feet to his side and silently extends her hand to him. He takes it and follows her to an even more remote part of the garden. The bushes and trees are thicker, the air pungent with the piney smell of the evergreens. Soon they reach what can only be the Takezawa burial site. A stone monument has already been erected and Gibbs can tell that at least one name is on it, by the grey lettering on the front. Laurie touches some red lettering that's beside the rest, and Gibbs instinctively knows that it's Takezawa's name.

"Once he's buried, I'll remove the red as is tradition."

"The other letters are his wife?"

She touches the letters to the left of Takezawa's name. "Her name was Susan, and while she's not buried here, he still acknowledged her presence in his life."

"Why didn't he bury her here if he loved her that much?"

"Her family insisted on the body being returned to them. They said that father was nothing more than a heathen and didn't deserve to have her lying next to him even in death."

"He was an honorable man, like you are an honorable woman."

She reaches out and lights a small piece of incense that's lying in a crevasse. She blows out the flame, letting the smoke drift over the gravestone. When she does that, Gibbs also notices the cutouts for water and flowers which will be filled later that day when they bury Takezawa's ashes.

Two days after the funeral and burial, Gibbs and Laurie return to D.C. and the NCIS team.

***

A/N: Home again, home again, and what a reception they'll receive. Couple more chapters and we're done with this story guys. Thanks for staying with me this long:) BTW: I have nothing against the Green Berets or any of the armed forces/special forces. Thanks for the continued reading and reviewing.


	44. Chapter 42 Gibbs Chapter 18

Knights of the NCIS Table—Gibbs Chapter 18

Two hours ten minutes fourteen seconds, that's how long it's been since Gibbs last laid eyes on Laurie Fields. When they'd returned from Japan, the first place they'd stopped was NCIS. Vance had been there, as well as the MCRT. It's late enough in the day that Sarah and Donny are there waiting to give Tony a ride home.

Abby gives Gibbs an enthusiastic hug. When he doesn't respond with his usual Caf-Pow, she frowns at him. Gibbs ignores the frown and follows Vance upstairs to his office. Once Gibbs is out of sight, Tony motions for Laurie to follow him to one of the interrogation rooms.

"What do you want Tony?" Her voice is as exhausted as she looks.

"Nothing actually, just thought you'd like some privacy for a while. I have someone here who'd like to see his Granpa and figured he might be able to cheer you up too."

Laurie shakes her head no. All she wants right now is to decompress. The last two weeks are catching up to her fast. She looks at Tony who is eyeing her with concern.

"Can you get me to Holly's apartment? I just really need to see my friend right now."

Tony nods and gives a signal to the window for Tim to take her to Holly's. Tim is waiting outside the interrogation room with Donny and together the three escort Laurie to Tim's car.

Donny climbs into his car seat and waits for Tim to buckle him in. Once Tim has started the car and they are on their way to Holly's, Donny starts asking questions.

"Miss Laurie, what's Japan like? Where is Japan and why did Granpa Jefro go with you? Can you take me to Japan sometime? Will you come visit me again?"

In the front of the car, Tim glances over at Laurie who has closed her eyes. Not knowing if she's actually asleep or merely faking it, Tim tells Donny that Laurie will answer his questions another time.

"Okay Uncle Tim. Uncle Tim are you gonna marry Aunt Holly? She's really nice and I like her a lot."

Tim blushes and a quickly hidden smirk tells him that Laurie heard the question too.

"I don't know yet, Donny. I –I don't really know Holly that well yet. Umm I might eventually ask her out on a date providing her friend approves."

Laurie doesn't bother hiding her smile this time.

"I'll approve the date Tim. You've already shown yourself worthy of her."

In the back seat, Donny gives Tim a thumbs up and starts asking questions again. "Miss Laurie, why did Granpa go with you to Japan?"

Laurie thinks about her answer before replying, "The last time I was at your house, I said that I had to say goodbye to some people, do you remember? One of those people lived in Japan. Your grandpa came with me so that I wouldn't have to make the journey alone."

Donny nods and soon they are at Holly's apartment. Laurie thanks Tim for the drive and as she leaves the car, she hears Donny asking Tim for another story.

***

Back at NCIS, Gibbs is getting the run around from Vance regarding his latest journey. Gibbs lets the man rant before opening the door and saying, "I'll send you my report."

Vance stares at him and Gibbs glares right back. Deciding not to press the issue, Vance backs down and starts down the stairs. Abby is heading up and Vance knows that Gibbs is about to get yet another earful of reprimands. Vance decides that the visit from Abby will be punishment enough and that he doesn't need to implement any other reprimands on his assistant director.

Gibbs is sitting on the edge of his desk waiting for Abby to show up. He knows that the lack of Caf-Pow is going to irritate her, but since Laurie had teleported the two of them directly to NCIS's main gates, he didn't have time to give her his usual offering. Well, he could have but he knew that Laurie was tiring and wanted his team to make sure that she made it home all right.

Abby quietly shuts the door behind her. Gibbs is still sitting on the edge of his desk, arms folded over his chest as he waits for her to speak.

"Gibbs, why are you still hanging out with that person? She isn't worthy of you. She doesn't even exist prior to 1984. What do you know about her?"

"Abbs…" she ignores the warning tone in his voice as she continues.

"Seriously Gibbs, not only does she not exist, but it's like the information on her is all prefabricated. If you want to date someone else, I can understand, but not her Gibbs. She's not all that she says she is."

"You done?" Steel and anger are lacing his voice and icing his eyes, yet the Goth ignores it as she continues.

"No, I ran her DNA and she comes up as Classified, Top Secret. So does that person you asked Tony to investigate…that Dawes person. What kind of person is that Gibbs? Not someone you can trust if she's out of your clearance range."

Gibbs wonders what the Goth will say if he tells her that he's married to Laurie. A small quirk of a grin tugs at the corner of his mouth as he imagines the scene. Rather than give in to temptation, he stands up and escorts the Goth to the door shutting it firmly behind her. He no sooner locks the door behind Abby when Dawes teleports in.

"Didn't Hawk tell you that we're beyond your clearance level? Why is NCIS still investigating my cook/medic?"

Gibbs stares at her confused. Aside from when he'd told Tony to check up on Dawes, he hasn't asked for any other information on Laurie. That's when he realizes that Abby's gone too far. Dawes sees first the confusion then comprehension as he figures out what's been going on behind his back. Before either of them say more, there's a soft tapping at the door and a childish voice asking for entrance.

Gibbs opens the door and Donny walks into the room. Dawes has teleported out again, and the former marine breathes a sigh of relief. He picks up his grandson and carries him over to the desk where he sits down with Donny in his arms. Two minutes later, Donny is sound asleep, and Gibbs isn't too far behind.

***

Down in her lab Abby is tapping away on her keyboard, ignorant of the pissed off female standing behind her until she's shoved to the side. Her indignant, "Hey!" is cut off when she sees Laurie standing between her and Dawes.

"Move aside, I want to take her down."

"No, Dawes. I can't let you do that. Jethro relies on Abby's skills as a forensic pathologist. He needs her in the work force. It's a skill I don't have and don't want to learn if you end up killing her."

"I can kill just as easily as she can and leave less trace than she can."

"No. This is between Abby and me. I'm a big girl Dawes; I can fight my own battles." There's a silent communication between the tall blonde and her darker haired friend.

The shorter woman nods, and looks over at Abby who still isn't certain what Laurie's trying to protect her from. Seeing the trashcan in the corner Dawes lifts her sunglasses and glares at the unsuspecting object. It explodes and Abby finally understands that the trashcan could have been her if Laurie hadn't intervened.

***

The sounding of the fire alarm wakes Gibbs from his light doze. He looks at the little one in his arms, marveling at how some children can sleep through anything. He carries Donny down the stairs, meeting up with Tim, Tony Sarah and Ziva as they head for the exit. Outside in the lot, he looks around for Abby and doesn't immediately see her. He's heading for the stairs when Laurie and Abby appear beside him.

Abby starts towards him but he's moving towards the blonde, checking her over for signs of injury. That's when the Goth knows that Gibbs is serious about Laurie. She sighs when she sees the tender way he touches the other woman's face. She can't remember ever seeing that particular expression on his face when they were together.

Donny wakes up, and sees his grandfather touching Laurie. He reaches out to the woman who calmly takes him in her arms. "I likes you, Miss Laurie. Can we go home now?"

***

a/n: and so ends chpt 18…final chapter coming up…thank you all for reading and to my main reviewers, thank you for staying with me.


	45. Chapter 43 Gibbs Chapter 19 Final Chpt

Knights of the NCIS Table—Gibbs Chapter 19

Once the fire department has given the okay for the agents to return inside, Gibbs makes sure that the building is once again secure before sending everyone home. Abby runs down to her lab and surprisingly nothing was damaged when the fire system went off. Somehow she knows that Laurie and Dawes had protected the equipment from the foam and water. She doesn't know how they did it, but her precious computers and mass spectrometer are safe and none of it needs replacing.

Gibbs knows that the team wants filled in on what happened while he was in Japan, so he invites them all over to his place for supper. He looks over at Laurie who gives a subtle nod in agreement. Donny secure in his mother's arms looks from Gibbs to Laurie and back again. His grandfather is at peace and a smile is lurking even now at the corner of his mouth. Tim lets everyone know that he's going to meet them at Gibbs house. He's going to stop first and pick up Holly. He asks Donny if he wants to go with him but this time Donny refuses. The little boy asks Gibbs to take him home instead and Tim tells his boss that he'll transfer the car seat over to Gibbs car.

Considering how they arrived, Gibbs is about to refuse when he remembers that he can always take one of the Dodge's that are part of the NCIS fleet of cars. Tim nods his understanding and leaves the room. Tony and Sarah head out after offering Ziva and Abby a lift. Both women refuse, for different reasons. Ziva prefers to drive by herself and Abby's not sure she's going to be welcome there.

Seeing the doubt in Abby's face, Laurie takes Ziva aside and asks Ziva if she minds watching Donny for a few minutes while she and Gibbs talk to Abby. The dark haired woman smiles and nods, knowing that if Abby's ever going to accept the new woman in Gibbs life, they need this conversation. Ziva extends her hand to Donny and asks him to demonstrate his throwing skills for her.

"Are they going to fight, Aunt Ziva?"

"I do not think so Donny. I think that your grandfather and Laurie want to talk to Abby, so that they can all be friends."

Donny nods, clearly thinking about the presence of Laurie in his grandfather's life. Ziva lifts him up, bringing him to her eyelevel.

"What is on your mind, young Donny? You may tell me, I will not tell anyone else."

"I was watching Granpa Jefro earlier, and he was smiling Aunt Ziva. He never smiled that much before he and Miss Laurie took their trip."

"Maybe he was able to resolve the differences between them, making him like and trust her yes?"

That's when it occurs to the child that his Aunt Ziva has always trusted Laurie. He gives her a look that is pure Gibbs. "You've always known who she is, haven't you? You didn't tell Granpa either."

Ziva stands him on the bench so that they are of almost equal height. "When your grandfather first met my friend, she had to bring him sad news, yes? I was not there that night, it was not until later that I found out she was there and by then your grandfather had already started to form an opinion about her."

"Still, you coulda said something to Granpa." He sticks out his chin, just as stubborn as Tony does when he knows he's right about something.

"Yes, I could have, however I did not and now they are friends. That is all that matters, yes?"

Donny nods his agreement and they start his lesson in knife throwing.

***

Upstairs Abby is pacing as she tries to figure out just what Gibbs and Laurie want to tell her. Gibbs finally sits her down at Tony's desk. He draws in a deep breath, still not sure what he wants to say. Laurie sits down at Abby's feet; she knows what she's going to say.

"Abby, look at me, and understand what I'm telling you." Laurie waits until those dark eyes raise enough to look into her own lavender colored ones before she continues.

"I know why you are concerned, I feel the same way about my own team; both of them are of major concern to me. I will admit that I conducted my own investigations into the MCRT after we were introduced. How-ev-er…" she deliberately draws out the last word, "I never conducted a DNA search. I do know that Jethro was involved in several missions that he will never talk about and I will never ask him about."

"Abbs, as a special forces unit there are things we can never know about, you should know that by now. The fact that you ran her DNA, even after we found out that her team was black ops, I admit to being disappointed."

"But Gibbs, her clearance level shouldn't be above yours. She's not old enough to have that high of a level. She's as old as Tony is for cryin' out loud."

"Older, but only by a couple of years. The fact is Abby, I know who she is, I trust her, and now you need to trust her too."

Abby nods slowly and extends her hand to Laurie who smiles as she shakes hands with the Goth. Laurie looks up at Gibbs to make sure he approves as she invites the Goth to dinner with the rest of the team. Abby shakes her head no. she needs some time to accept all that's happened in the past few hours. They don't pressure her into accepting; instead Gibbs lowers his head to kiss Abby on the cheek, as Laurie stands up. The couple heads for the elevator and Gibbs dials Ziva's cell so that she knows they're on their way to get Donny.

***

Dinner is an easy affair, as Tim and Holly pick up the meal from the newly opened Knotted C. Tony and Sarah pick up extra soft drinks for everyone and Gibbs stops off for his favorite coffee. During the meal, Gibbs and Laurie lightly touch upon the fact that Laurie had buried yet another friend and that is why Gibbs had accompanied Laurie to Japan. Holly looks shocked at the news and knows instinctively that Laurie had kept the news from her.

After the meal, Donny talks Gibbs into finishing the story he'd started. Tim looks up startled as he's usually Donny's story teller. Tony tells him not to worry, he's sure that Tim will be back on the best teller list before the week is out. Both Gibbs and Laurie head slap him for that remark as they head into the family room.

Tony rubs the back of his head, grumbling good-naturedly about the head slaps. Sarah tells Tim that she has a taping of the last time Gibbs was the story teller if he wants to listen to it.

As they head into the family room, Tim and Ziva are surprised to see Gibbs and Laurie sitting side by side on the couch, (as they hadn't been present the last time Gibbs told his story). Donny is sitting on Laurie's lap, showing her his bunny Plot. Once everyone is sitting down Gibbs asks Donny where they'd left off in the story.

"Umm...King Jed is wrapping Tandel's eyes so that they can fly back to his castle."

***

Jed asks Tandel if she will let him bind her eyes.

"Thym flies pretty fast, and we don't need your eyes to get worse."

Tandel nods at his logic and sits passively while he wraps a cloth around her eyes. He'd found the cloth in her backpack. It has many things that Jed himself uses or had used prior to his marriage to Shannon. Rope, candles, extra rations, and to his surprise some herbs are in there too. When he finishes, he looks for Crystal and asks her if she'll find Thym so that they can take Tandel back to Senrinca and his home.

When Thym enters the cave, King Jed looks at the blue dragon and offers an apology to the beast. "I realize that you were just trying to look out for my best interests. Thank you."

The dragon gives him a bashful smile before heading towards the cave entrance where he transforms into his dragon form. Crystal hovers near Tandel, not sure if she wants to go with the others back to Senrinca. Jed looks at the little pseudo-dragon, and says one word, "Please." The little dragon nods and wraps herself around Jed's proffered arm.

The flight from the dragon's cave to Jed's castle takes less than ten minutes. As they land in the courtyard, Jed starts yelling for Abdiel and Zavad, as well as Jamie to help him with his guest.

***

Tim looks at his boss in awe. He hasn't realized until now just how much attention Gibbs has paid to the stories he's been telling Donny. His green eyes reflect his pleasure that the older man thought enough of the stories to remember even the minor characters.

***

Thym waits until the others have dismounted to change form and follows King Jed into the throne room. Abdiel and Jamie are waiting for Jed as he strides into the room, carrying the still form of Tandel. Jamie quickly examines the elf, noting the bandage around her eyes and looks up at Jed for clarification.

Jed repeats what information he knows and Jamie gently cuts the bandages off so that he can inspect the elf's eyes. The wizard's medical skills are almost as great as his magical ones and he quickly ascertains what needs to be done to cure Tandel's eyesight. He has Zavad bring him some water and Tandel herself tells him of the herbs that are in her pack.

Jamie crushes the herbs and mixes them with the water, then gently sprinkles the mixture into Tandel's eyes. Tandel says nothing as the herbs touch her eyes, and Jamie has King Jed help him replace the bandages.

"Leave them on until the next sunset. I'll inspect them again at that time. Crystal, if you're here, I'd like your assistance tomorrow too. We might need to create a stronger potion if these herbs don't work."

"They'll work." The tone of Jed's voice doesn't leave anyone in doubt. They know that the king has the power of suggestion or something equally powerful. Tandel smiles under her bandages at the king's arrogance. She knows that it's up to Corellon if the herb mixture works, not King Jed, but likes the idea that he thinks he can influence a god.

***

"Wow, he really is like you isn't he Gibbs?" Tony cringes as everyone else in the room, except Laurie, turns to glare at him. Laurie just smirks and dodges the hand that pretends to smack her.

***

As night becomes day, Tandel asks King Jed if he will "show" her around his castle. The king is slightly surprised but agrees. The elf places a hand on his elbow and he takes her through the separate rooms, describing the kitchens, and the dining areas. He leads her up the stairs to the many guest rooms and even his den.

They go back downstairs and he takes her out into the gardens and she smiles as she recognizes some of the herbs that are growing by their scent. She frowns at some and when he asks her what the matter is she tells him that some of the herbs are deadly and poisonous if used incorrectly. Among them are elderberries, wolfsbane and belladonna/nightshade.

***

Gibbs looks around not sure if the herbs he's mentioned really are toxic or if he's just repeating something from _Harry Potter_. Laurie catches his eye and gives a slight nod, indicating that he's on target with the herbs and their toxicity.

***

Jed thanks Tandel for the information as he escorts her back inside and makes a mental note to ask Jamie and Abdiel about the herbs. He knows that some of them are used to make poison for the arrows that they use, but he wants confirmation now as to what the exact use is for all of the herbs.

On their way back inside, Tandel trips over one of the stepping stones. When Jed steadies her, he notices the small heart shaped scar she has on her shoulder. He asks her about it and she tells him about her brother who'd been taken in by evil clerics and how he'd branded her when she'd tried to save him.

***

Laurie knows immediately where that reference came from and Gibbs silently takes her left hand in his. Donny follows their linked hands and sees the scar on Laurie's palm. He reaches out and caresses the scar as his Granpa continues the story.

***

Jed says nothing as he touches the scar on Tandel's shoulder. The price of loving someone, of caring enough to try to save them. He thinks of his own scars, ones he obtained when trying to rescue his wife and daughter. He has much in common with this elf. He wonders again why Thym would have brought her to his kingdom and realizes that Thym might not have been the only factor in Tandel coming to Senrinca.

Leaving Tandel in the capable hands of his squire Zavad, King Jed heads towards his chapel and a confrontation with a god. He implores Corellon to communicate with him and explain why he brought Tandel to this land.

Surprisingly, Corellon descends and grants him an audience. He tells Jed that the cleric called Tandel is as precious to him as Jed's daughter had been to the king. She'd lost a lot of good friends and he wanted one last chance for his cleric to be happy. "Give her a chance, you can both be happy."

"I will if you will." Jed's tone is brooking no refusal. He's seen the cleric's unhappiness at losing not her eyesight but the skills that had made her a cleric/magic–user. Corellon blinks at the king's perception and nods in agreement. He'd hoped that Tandel would find someone worthy to be her soul mate and he has a feeling that King Jed is that man.

Corellon tells King Jed that when Jamie takes the bandages off Tandel will not only have her sight back; her cleric and magic-user abilities will be restored as well. Jed refrains from telling him that he'll believe it when he sees it.

After the evening meal, King Jed waits for the arrival of Thym and Crystal before allowing Jamie to remove Tandel's bandages. He knows the dragons are concerned for the elf and want to be there if anything goes wrong. The bandages come off and Jamie carefully washes the herbs away from Tandel's eyes.

The elf blinks against the slight sting as the water washes the last of the herbs away. She takes in the muted blue form of Thym the dragon/man and his companion Crystal the purple pseudo-dragon. Beside the two dragons are Jamie, the gentle wizard, his hands full of the water bowl and Abdiel his black locks hanging straight down his back. Zavad is sitting beside her, looking up at her with hope in his youthful eyes and face. Finally her eyes light on King Jed.

The silver-blue gaze meets with her lavender one and she knows that she's found her home, her heart and her soul. Their hands meet and Tandel feels not only her healing powers revive, but her magic-user ones too. As for Jed, he feels complete for the first time since his Queen and Princess had been killed. When Tandel winds her arms around Jed's neck and they exchange their first kiss they both know they have found their soul mate.

***

Gibbs looks at Donny who nods his approval. He'd asked for King Jed to meet his Queen and Granpa had done just what he'd said he would. Best of all, in Donny's eyes, Granpa was giving Donny a new Granma, even if Granpa didn't know it yet.

***

A/n: The end???? For now at any rate. Thank you to all who read, and a special thank you to those who reviewed you know who you are. If anyone has a story idea they would like me to attempt, please feel free to comment and I'll see what I can do. After all we have to keep those plot bunnies working don't we ;)


	46. Update

Knights of the NCIS Table—Update: 03/28/10 too early to tell what the time is…

Quick little note to those who not only read but review…Ducky's tale is soon to arrive at Knights of the NCIS Table. Hope to have it finished by the end of the weekend. After that, the Table will be closed. Thanks for sticking with me this long you guys. I really, really appreciate it.


	47. Chapter 47 Ducky's Tale

Knights of the NCIS Table—Ducky's Tale

(This will take place while Gibbs and Laurie are in Japan.)

Tim McGee is once again at his best friend's house, telling a story to his favorite person. Donald DiNozzo may be only four, but he has his Uncle Tim and most of the other members of the MCRT wrapped around his little fingers. Tim sighs as they settle into their favorite recliner. He hasn't been around much this past week, due to the funerals of his parents and then he had to return to work.

His boss, also known as the assistant director of NCIS, Leroy Jethro Gibbs had sent all of the team a memo saying that he would be out of the office for several days. Abby of course has been hounding all of the others, demanding to know where Gibbs is and why he wouldn't tell her where he was going.

Tim has an idea of what happened to Gibbs. He knows that Gibbs had been watching over the entire DiNozzo family just a few days ago. Sarah and Donny had gotten sick and Tony hadn't been much better. Tim had volunteered to help but Tony had declined the offer saying that he didn't want Tim to get sick too, especially if he was going to try dating Holly Breaker.

Tim blushes faintly when he thinks of the young woman who has captured his heart. Tony and Sarah were in the midst of having Abby run a background check on her when they'd all gotten the news about Tim and Sarah's parents getting killed. Holly's parents were killed the same day by the same people and her boss had been the one to inform Gibbs.

Laurie Fields, yeah he'd bet a paycheck that Gibbs was following Holly's boss somewhere. The older woman had actually paid her respects to Tim's parents, and Holly's as well as attending yet another funeral that week. Then, Gibbs had called her into his office. Tim grimaced as he imagined the interrogation that could have followed.

Tim shifts his attention to the child in his arms. "All right young Mister DiNozzo, what shall we talk about today?"

"Uncle Tim, can you…can you…can you tell me a story about Granpa Duck?"

Tim's green eyes widen in surprise…after all this time, Donny has never asked about Ducky before. For him to request a story about the former M.E. indicates that something or someone might have been talking to the child.

"Sure, Donny, I can think of something. Can I ask a quick question here as to why you want one about Ducky all of a sudden?"

Donny's lips twitch as he considers his answer. "I saw him last night in a dream. Him and Granma Shannon and Cousin Kelly. They was all ghosties visiting Granpa Jefro."

"I see, well, did you want to wait for me to call Grandpa and we can get his input?"

"No, Granpa's in Japan with Miss Laurie. Where's Japan Uncle Tim?"

Tim shows Donny where Japan is on the globe and then they settle once again into the recliner.

"Okay one story with Ducky in it coming up. Umm...what kind of character do you want him to be Donny?"

"Can you have him be like you are when you tell me stories?"

"You want him to be a bard? A traveling story teller who makes friends as he goes?"

"Yeah and have him meet King Jed and Anton and Thym."

"I think we can do that. Okay, got your bunny Plot? Once upon a time, a long, long, long time ago, there was a little old man who was called, Donald."

"His name was Ducky."

"His nickname is Ducky. His real name was Donald, just like yours. Now Ducky was a traveling bard."

***

Donald "Ducky" Mallard was a self proclaimed travelling bard. He'd been all over the lands of Nacrines, and was currently heading for the castle ran by King Jed of Senrinca.

***

"You've been talking to Granpa; he named those the last time he was here."

"I'm sure it's just a coincidence. After all, we both work at the same place and I'm sure that he came up with the idea the same way I did."

"Granpa don't belief in coinkyidinkys."

"It's coincidences and I know that he doesn't. You've been listening to your father again too haven't you?"

***

Ducky had heard that King Jed ran a fairly tight kingdom, yet the man was considered to be a fair person and possibly wouldn't judge a bard by his stories. Ducky was hoping that was the case as he wanted to find a place to settle down and hopefully find a family that liked to listen to old tales.

As he walks towards the castle, he sees a shadow, a long winged shadow fly over him. Dragons, but dragons are supposed to be extinct by now. There hadn't been any dragon sightings for well, over 20 years. And King Jed is the one who supposedly killed the last dragon.

Sighing, the bard shakes his head and continues heading north; towards Senrinca and the castle of King Jed.

***

Tim pauses and turns the little boy in his arms to face him. "Now, I know that you asked for a story , but do you want me to tell you a story about Ducky or would you just like me to tell you about the man that Ducky actually was?"

"I wanna story. Granpa can tell me bout real Ducky."

Tim smiles faintly imagining all the tales that Gibbs might actually be able to tell about the former M.E.

"Alrighty then, Ducky the bard walks across the meadow…"

***

The meadow wasn't that long, but when you've been walking the distance that Ducky has it can seem to stretch for an eternity. He didn't even have a companion this time, as his favorite mule Leon had pulled up lame two weeks ago. Rather than grumble about it, Ducky keeps himself entertained by imagining encounters he has had in the past.

***

"And yes, Ducky was always telling us stories about something that had happened to him while he was in England or in medical school or the English Army. Usually he'd do it while he was talking to a dead body, or if he knew that one of us was nearby to listen to him, he'd tell us tales too."

"You liked him lots huh Uncle Tim?"

"Yeah, I really did. He reminded me of my own grandfather and some of the stories that he used to tell us. It's because of those two men that I decided to become a writer."

"Why don't you write now then?"

Tim sighs as he tries to figure out how to explain to a four year old something he has yet to figure out for himself.

***

Ducky didn't know it but he'd been seen as he was walking over the meadow. The friendly blue dragon known as Thym, had seen the elderly bard walking and discreetly followed him at a distance. Thym gave a mental message to Crystal the pseudo-dragon, letting her know that King Jed was about to have company.

Crystal flew immediately to the human king. She likes the human despite his quirks. Or maybe it's because of his quirks. He treats his people well, rarely hits anyone without a just reason. No one is unfairly punished. Best of all, he likes Thym and Crystal.

***

"Granpa has always liked you Uncle Tim."

"I know, it just took me awhile to realize that."

***

Crystal flies straight to the castle, only stopping when she gets to King Jed's throne. King Jed is staring rather aimlessly out the window and Crystal wonders briefly what is wrong before remembering that she has an announcement to make.

_**Excuse me, King Jed but I bring news from Thym. He says that there is a stranger wandering the south meadow and wants to know if you need him to intercept said stranger and bring him to you**_.

King Jed turns from the window and stares at the tiny dragon for two seconds before responding.

"No, Crystal, don't let him intercede unless the stranger proves to be an adversary."

_**By your command**_. The dragon zips back out the door and relays her message. As she enters the garden she recognizes…

***

"Uncle Tim? Can you put Tandel into the story? She's gonna be Granpa's, I mean King Jed's queen. She's an elf, like you are sometimes."

"Sure, Donny just remind me to tell Granpa so that he knows we used his queen in our story."

"Uncle Tim, I think that Tandel was hurt in Granpa's story. Granpa had King Jed wrapping her eyes so that they could travel."

Tim thinks for a moment before he asks, "By the way Donny who said I was an elf sometimes?"

"Mommy said you used to be an ElfLord or sometin like that."

"Remind me to remind Mommy what happens when she tells tales out of school."

"Okies."

***

Upstairs Tony is once again in awe of his Probie's storytelling skills. He smirks at the Battlestar Galactica reference when Crystal says "by your command." He laughs outright when Sarah is revealed as the culprit who told Donny about Tim's days as the reigning ElfLord in an MMORPG.

Sarah slaps his arm as she laughs along with Tony. Her brother might not know it yet, but she has a feeling that it won't be too long before he starts writing in earnest again.

***

Tandel is sitting in the gardens, letting the sun warm her face. Her eyes are still bandaged as she waits for the hours to pass before she has them removed. As Crystal flutters into the garden the elf smiles and waits for the pseudo-dragon to communicate.

_**Thym is following a stranger who will be here soon. Do you wish to return inside**_?

"No Crystal, I shall be safe here in the gardens."

_**You put much trust in this human**_.

"Possibly, and if I do, it's because you and Thym trust him. You must or you wouldn't have let him near me."

Crystal can't argue that point and sets off to find Thym. She knows that she's small enough that she'll be mistaken for a bird if anyone sees her. She finds her quarry five minutes later.

Ducky smiles as the pseudo-dragon approaches. He knows that it won't be long before someone comes out to greet him and is surprised when the pseudo-dragon actually pauses before him. Crystal is surprised too, she usually lets Thym greet King Jed's guests, but for some reason she knows that she has to meet this man.

"Well, hello my dear. My name is Donald Mallard but you may call me Ducky."

***

Tony has to wipe a tear away. The inflection Tim uses reminds the older man of the gentle M.E. and how he always introduced himself to newcomers.

***

_**Ducky, my name is Crystal. May I escort you to King Jed's castle**_?

"Why of course you may, and may I say that I do believe that this reminds me of a time when I was in Arabia. Speaking of which I have a gift for King Jed. Do you know if he has ever had a drink called coffee?"

_**Not to my knowledge, and my companion says he's never seen King Jed drink anything except ale or mead**_.

"I take it your companion is the bigger dragon I saw flying overhead a few hours ago? Oh don't worry my dear, I'm not hunting, I'm a bard. I tell stories and I'm sure that I can find a few to discover here."

Crystal sends Thym a mental message detailing what she's found out so far. Thym quickly flies ahead to let King Jed know about the presence of the bard. Thym chooses to change into human form and walks stridently to the throne room. King Jed looks up when Thym walks in, knowing that the dragon rarely appears in human form. For him to do so now something or someone important must be approaching.

"What's up Thym?"

"Forgive me, Your Highness, I do not wish to intrude but the stranger in the meadow is claiming to be a bard. Crystal is with him now, escorting him here. She says that his name is Ducky."

Jed almost smirks at the name. He's heard many tales about this bard. Most of them agree on three things: he's soft-spoken, knowledgeable, and tends to ramble on when telling a story. Jed really doesn't mind if the other man does ramble, as long as it's not when he's in the middle of doing something else.

"Tell Crystal that I will receive the bard in the throne room when they arrive."

"Yes King Jed."

"Thym? You are invited to stay for the night if you want to hear one of the bard's tales."

"Thank you, sir, I'll check in with Crystal first and see if she has plans for the night."

***

Tony looks at Sarah, who's smiling fondly at an old memory. When he asks her about it, she replies that their grandmother had often told Tim that he could stay and listen to the old bard talk as long as their mother approved.

"Were they close?"

"Tim and Grandpa? Only when it came to telling stories."

***

King Jed graciously allows Thym to greet Ducky when the older man finally gets into the courtyard and allows the dragon to escort him into the throne room. Ducky smiles at the blue clad figure, knowing immediately that it's the dragon.

"I must say, for a dragon you are remarkably well-behaved. Why aren't you trying to decimate this castle?"

"I have no fight with King Jed. He and his knights are my friends."

"Really? You'll have to tell me that story sometime soon."

Thym continues leading Ducky to where King Jed is waiting. Jed smiles at the elderly bard, knowing that behind those twinkling eyes is a mind that is sharp as a tack.

"Welcome to Senrinca, Bard Mallard. I do hope you'll be able to keep us entertained."

"Oh of that I have little doubt, and please won't you call me Ducky?"

"Pleased to meet you Ducky. You've met our resident dragon, Thym and his companion Crystal. Later on, you'll meet more of the castle's residents and their families."

Ducky smiles at the wording. Family is something he's not been part of for many years. It will be nice if he can become an active family member once again.

"Are there any particular rules that I must know about if I'm to fit in?"

***

Tony and Sarah strain to hear what Tim's going to use for King Jed's rules. After all, the real Gibbs only started his set of rules after meeting his first wife Shannon.

***

"Expect the unexpected. That's rule number one. if you decide to stay here, I'll let you know what the others are."

"Excellent, now then before I forget, I have a gift for you. I'm not sure if you've heard of them; they're called coffee beans and when ground up make a wonderfully warm beverage."

***

Tony groans at the introduction of coffee to King Jed. When Sarah looks at him, he tells her, "Now we've got one of the first rules of Leroy Jethro Gibbs. Never touch the boss's coffee."

***

The day passes quickly for everyone and soon King Jed, Ducky, Jamie and Abdiel are waiting for the evening meal to be brought out. Thym and Crystal spent most of the day outdoors, not wanting to be cooped up inside the building all day. As they head inside, Crystal reminds Thym that Tandel is still out in the gardens, waiting for an escort to the table.

Thym gently guides the elf inside and sits her beside King Jed. Jed is silent as he wordlessly squeezes Tandel's hand in quiet apology. For his part, Ducky is entranced when he sees Tandel and immediately starts in on another story. By the time the meal ends, King Jed knows that Ducky is going to become a permanent fixture in his castle. The old bard not only has the tales that traveling has brought him, but he has some experience with medicine and a fascination with everything that surrounds him. Jamie the wizard has already invited Ducky to share his quarters and maybe share knowledge as well.

As for Ducky, the bard smiles to himself as he lies down to sleep on the extra pallet in Jamie's rooms. He's not only allowed to stay here, he's being accepted here, as a bard and a medic. He's being treated as an equal, not someone to toss aside like a bad piece of cheese. He's even shown King Jed how to make coffee, much to the King's delight. Life is good thinks the bard as he closes his eyes and falls asleep.

***

Donny is quiet for several minutes after Tim finishes the story and Tim wonders if he's said something wrong. When Donny finally speaks Tim breathes a quiet sigh of relief.

"Uncle Tim? Can we call Granpa? I want him to tell me about Ducky."

***

A/N: I think that this is the actual ending to the Knights of the NCIS Table. Thank you to all who have read and especially those who have reviewed.


End file.
